LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 


PRESENTED  BY 

MRS.  DONALD  KELLOGG 


HUNTING    TOURS 

INTERSPERSED  WITH 

CHARACTERISTIC  ANECDOTES,  SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS 
OF  » 

SPORTING  MEN, 


i&ttors  of 


WITH 

ANALYTICAL  CONTENTS  AND  GENERAL  INDEX  OF  NAMES 


TO  WHICH  ARE  ADDED 
Nimrod's  Letters  on  Riding  to  Hound*. 


'  Independent  of  the  pleasure  arising  from  the  Chase,  I  have  always 
considered  a  covert's  side,  with  hounds  that  are  well  attended,  to  be  one 
of  the  most  lively  scenes  in  nature;  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  adding, 
that  the  best  introduction  for  a  young  man,  of  fortune  and  fashion  of  the 
present  day  is  to  be  found  at  Billesdon  Coplow  or  Oadby  toll-bar. 

NIMROD  ON  RIDING  TO  HOUNDS. 

IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 
VOLUME  II. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
CAREY,  LEA,  AND  BLANCHARD. 


f ' ' 


NIMROD'S  SECOND  TOUR, 


EMBRACING  ACCOUNTS  OK 


THE  WARWICKSHIRE  HOUNDS,  UNDER  MR.  HAY 

MR.  BOYCOTT'S, 

THE  SHROPSHIRE,  UNDER  SIR  BELLINGHAM  GRAHAM, 

THE  CHESHIRE,  UNDER  SIR  HENRY  MAINWARING, 

SIR  RICHARD  PULESTON'S, 

THE  NORTHAMPTONSHIRE,  UNDER  MR.  MUSTERS. 


ON  Sunday  the  4th  of  December  18251  reached  Oxford, 
but,  from  the  inclement  state  of  the  weather,  had  no  hun- 
ting till  the  following  Friday,  when  I  met  the  Duke  of 
Beaufort's  hounds  at  Heythorpe.  This  is  the  place  to  see 
this  distinguished  pack,  it  is  their  home  ;  and  they  come 
out  of  their  kennel  with  a  sort  of  lap-dog  brightness  on 
their  skins  which  is  scarcely  to  be  met  with  in  any  other 
hounds.  To  a  lover  of  hounds  the  sight  is  quite  enchan- 
ting;  and  the  venerable  though  sporting  appearance  of 
their  huntsman,  Philip  Payne,  adds  much  to  the  effect. 
From  his  Grace  himself,  indeed,  to  the  second  whipper-in, 
there  is  something  particularly  in  character  in  this  first-rate 
establishment.  The  Duke  looks  like  a  Duke ;  and  his 
servants  are  the  most  civil,  cleanly,  and  well-ordered,  in 
their  respective  situations  that  have  ever  come  under  my 
observation.  Will  Long,  the  first  whipper-in,  is  quite 
perfect;  and  a  man  must  be  fastidious  who  can  find  any 
fault  in  the  second. 

Heythorpe — as  I  suppose,  from  being  a  large  domain — 
is  not  a  favorite  fixture,  but  I  consider  it  by  no  means  a  bad 
place  to  see  hounds.  In  the  first  place  it  is  a  certain  find 


4  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

every  hour  in  theTday,  and  with  a  gdod  scent  there  is  noth- 
ing to  enable  a  fox  to  put  hounds  at  defiance  :  if  he  flies, 
he  has  some  distance  to  go  before  he  can  hide  his  head 
again,  and  a  fine  country,  in  some  directions,  before  him. 
To  this  is  to  be  added,  there  are  several  parts  of  the  Hey- 
thorpe  grounds  very  favorable  for  seeing  hounds  hunt ;  and 
this  day  we  had  a  great  treat  in  riding  on  one  side  of  a 
glen  which  skirts  the  park,  whilst  the  hounds  were  running 
their  fox  on  the  other,  with  the  whole  pack  in  view.  I  was 
particularly  struck  with  the  number  of  clever  horses  I  sa\\ 
at  Heythorpe,  though  the  field  was  not  a  large  one.  ' 

I  thence  proceeded  into  Warwickshire,  and  again  took 
up  my  abode  at  Alscot  Park,  the  seat  of  Mr.  West,  which 
was  my  head-quarters  during  my  stay  in  that  county. 

On  the  10th  I  met  the  Warwickshire  hounds  at  Compton 
Verney,  the  seat  of  Lord  Willoughby — esteemed  one  of 
their  best  fixtures.  We  found  instantly,  and  ran  him  more 
than  half  an  hour,  with  only  one  trifling  check.  Two  pe- 
culiarities attended  this  burst.  The  pace  the  hounds  went 
at  was  tremendous,  but  from  the  short  and  curling  manner 
in  which  the  fox  ran — almost  equal  to  that  of  a  hare  on  her 
foil— it  was  most  difficult  to  keep  with  them.  The  hardest 
riders  were  baffled,  and  it  more  than  once  happened  that 
the  last  became  first,  and  the  first  nearly  last.  There  was, 
however,  what  the  Irishmen  call  some  '  wicked  riding'  on 
this  day — at  least  every  other  fence  being  timber,  with  a 
good  yawning  Squire-trap  on  one  side  or  the  other.  In 
spite  of  the  useful  practice  of  tying  on  the  hat,  two  men 
were  going  well  bare-headed,  viz.  Mr.  Meyrick  (who  al- 
ways goes  well,)  and  an  Irish  gentleman  named  Lee,  who 
was  staying  at  Leamington.  I  saw  Mr.  Lee  charging  some 
very  rough  places,  in  a  line  of  his  own,  apparently  quite 
regardless  of  consequences.*  He  rode  a  good  sort  of  Irish 

*  Nothing  short  of  the  ardor  of  the  chase  would  ihduce  a 
man  to  be  torn,  as  it  were,  through  a  strong  black-thorn  fence 
at  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  an  hour,  without  any  thing  to  pro- 
tect his  head  and  face.  Consequences,  however,  are  out  of 
sight  in  these  happy  moments,  when  things  are  going  well  and 
the  music  tingling  in  the  ear.  The  following  is  no  bad  exem- 
plar: One  day  last  season,  Bob  Oldaker,  whipper-in  to  the 
Old  Berkeley  fox-hounds,  was  riding  at  a  fence,  determined  to 


WARWICKSHIRE.  O 

horse,  that  should  not  have  been  allowed  to  have  crossed 
the  Channel  again,  which  I  understand  he  has  since  done. 
I  was  much  pleased  with  his  manner  of  taking  his  fences. 
He  went  close  up  to  them  before  he  sprang,  and  did  them 
in  a  very  masterly  manner. 

Could  it  have  been  possible  to  have  been  an  ubiquitary, 
I  should  have  been  with  the  Warwickshire,  as  well. as  with 
the  Duke's  hounds,  on  the  preceding  day :  it  was  a  bye- 
day,  and  only  a  few  people  were  out,  but  it  shewed  an 
excellent  run.  They  found  their  fox  in  Oakley  Wood,  and 
ran  him  for  fifty-five  minutes,  tip-top  pace,  over  the  finest 
part  of  the  country,  and  killed. 

On  Thursday  the  loth  met  the  Warwickshire  at  Ufton 
Wood.  The  covert  being  central,  we  had  a  very  large 
field  ;  but,  what  is  rare,  we  drew  it  blank.  We  found 
again  in  Itchington  Heath,  which  never  fails,  and  killed 
without  much  sport.  He  was  so  pressed  by  the  pace  whilst 
he  was  on  foot,  that  when  he  got  into  Chesterton  Wood,  he 
was  afraid  to  leave  it  again,  and  thus  lost  his  life  in  covert. 
We  had  what  Mr.  Hay  calls  his  small  pack  on  this  day — 
chiefly  bitches,  and  those  hounds  which  he  brought  into 
Warwickshire — and  I  never  saw  hounds  run  closer  together 
than  in  this  short  but  decisive  burst. 

Ufton  Wood  is  peculiarly  situated.  In  some  directions, 
a  fox  can  lead  you  over  as  fine  a  country  as  England  can 
shew,  and  in  others  about  the  worst.  This  shews  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  field  leaving  open  that  side  of  the  covert  from 
which  it  is  desirable  that  a  fox  should  break. 

There  was  to  me,  and  indeed  it  must  have  been  to  every 
one,  a  very  agreeable  sight  on  this  day  in  the  field.  This 
was  Mrs.  Shakerley  (the  Lady  of  Mr.  Shakerley,  jun.  of 
Somerford  Hall,  Cheshire,)  upon  her  beautiful,  I  might 
almost  say  superb  horse,  TJie  Golden  Ball.  Mrs.  Shaker- 
ley  is  a  French  lady  of  high  birth,  and  certainly  the  most 
graceful  horse-women  I  ever  saw  upon  a  horse :  the  Lady 
Eveline  herself,  on  her  white  palfrey,  could  not  have  excel- 

catch  his  hotinds.     '  Talce  care  what  you  are  at.  Bob  !'  said  a 
gentleman  to  him,  'there  is  a  lipll  of  a  place  oa  the  other  side.' 
— l  Thank  ye,  Sir,'  replied  Bob  ;  '  but  a  ditch  or  a  coal-pit  is  all 
one  to  me  ;'  and  he  never  turned  his  head. 
VOL.  ii.  1 


XIMROD'S  UUXTIXG  TOUR. 

Jed  her.  Her,  band,  as  well  as  her  seat,  is  quite  perfect, 
and  1  understand  she  has  gone  very  well  once  or  twice  in 
Leicestershire.  There  was  a  Foreign  Nobleman  also  in 
the  Held  on  this  day  who  attracted  my  notice,  and  who,  I 
thought,  sat  with  much  grace  upon  his  horse.  This  was  • 
the  Marquis  Herreja,  an  American  Spaniard,  from  Cuba, 
and  heir  to  30,000?.  per  annum.  He  was  on  a  visit  to  Mr. 
Shakerley,  and,  having  no  establishment  in  England,  con- 
tented himself  with  going  out  with  the  hounds  on  a  Leam- 
ington hack,  which  he  rode  gallantly  for  two  days,  charg- 
ing no  less  than  six  gates  in  the  time. 

On  Saturday  the  17th  met  the  Warwickshire  at  Walton 
Wood,  the  seat  of  Sir  John  Mordaunt,  when  a  fine  day's 
(•port  was  shewn.  There  was  a  burning  scent ;  and  with 
our  first  fox  the  hounds  ran  away  from  evejy  one  for  twenty 
minutes — the  field  being  obliged  to  go  around  to  a  bridge 
over  a  flood  river.  We  found  again  about  two  o'clock, 
and,  after  three  attempts  to  go  away,  he  put  his  head 
straight  for  the  Edge  Hills — going  over  a  very  fine  country 
of  about  ten  miles  in  extent.  When  the  hounds  got  to  the 
Hill — as  is  too  often  the  case — they  got  upon  a  fresh  fox  ; 
and  having  of  course  beaten  the  horses  over  this  very  severe 
ground,  it  was  impossible  to  stop  them,  and  away  they 
went.  Mr.  Hay  followed  the  line  of  them  till  it  was  quite 
dark,  when  not  knowing  the  country,  he  was  obliged  to 
give  up  the  pursuit;  and  though  Will  Boxall,  the  whipper- 
in,  succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  some  of  them,  apart  of  the 
pack  were  out  all  night. 

Jt  so  happened,  from  the  several  baffling  attempts  which 
this  fox  made  to  break  from  Bowshot  Wood — the  covert  in 
which  he  was  found — that  very  few  got  well  away  with  the 
hounds.  All  the  Warwickshire  old  hands  were  to  a  man 
thrown  out,  and  some  of  them  (amongst  whom  was  myself) 
never  knew  which  way  the  hounds  were  gone  until  all 
chance  of  catching  them  was  at  an  end.  Vexatious  as  this 
was,  it  was  useless  to  repine ;  but  it  proves  what  I  have 
before  said,  viz.  that  it  is  better  fo  go  through  a  covert 
after  hounds  at  certain  times,  than  to.  keep  outside  it  with 
the  hope  of  a  good  start,  which  hope  may  never  be  real- 
ized. 

It  was  very  generally  admitted,  even  by  those  who  went 


WARWICKSHIRE.  7 

\vell  themselves,  that  Mr.  Francis  Holland,  Mr.  Patrick 
(a  gentleman  farmer  from  Worcestershire)  on  his  famous 
little  mare,  Mr.  Cockbill,  jiin.,  and  Mr.  Dews,  had  the  best 
of  this  run — Mr.  Holland  and  Mr.  Patrick,  perhaps,  having 
the  cream  of  it.  Mr.  Meyrick  went  gallantly  on  his  favor- 
ite old  horse,  Jack,  but  having  over-marked  him  a  little  in 
crossing  a  deep  wheat-field,  he  rather  declined  at  the  last. 
The  horses,  however,  were  all  so  distressed,  that,  when 
ascending  the  Hill,  not  one  of  them  would  face  a  small 
fence  until  a  little  puff  was  afforded  them,  when  Mr.  Cock- 
bill  got  over  it.  Mr.  Wyatt,  Mr.  H.  Campbell,  Mr.  Fel- 
lows, and  Mr.  Sheldon,  the  flower  of  th^e  Warwickshire 
riders,  were  all  unfortunate  in  not  getting  away. 

The  next  morning  (Sunday)  I  accompanied  Mr.  Hay  to 
the  kennel,  to  learn  the  state  of  affairs,  and  we  found  that 
all  the  hounds  but  one  had  arrived.  I  had  never  seen  this 
kennel  before.  Barring  its  situation  (at  Butler's  Marson, 
about  a  mile  on  the  right  of  the  road  from  Warwick  to 
Banbury,  and  about  ten  miles  from  the  former  place) — too 
much  in  the  dirt — it  is  quite  sufficient  for  the  purpose,  and 
the  stables  very  good  indeed.  In  the  latter  were  twenty- 
three  hunters  for  Mr.  Hay  and  his  two  men,  and  I  con- 
sider them  very  well  adapted  for  the  purpose.  There  did 
not  appear  to  be  one  low-bred  horse  among  them ;  several 
of  them  quite  thorough-bred;  and,  I  might  almost  say,  all 
possessing  bone  and  substance,  without  which  they  are  of 
no  use  in  Warwickshire.  They  are  in  the  hands  of  an 
excellent  groom,  ....  Morris,  whom  I  remember  when 
in  the  service  of  Mr.  Lechrnere  Charlton  and  Mr.  Ilorn- 
yold. 

I  was  glad  to  see  J,ack  Wood  (the  kennel  huntsman) 
looking  in  good  health ;  but  I  did  not  like  him  so  well  in 
his  white  jean  coat,  and  on  his  feet,  as  I  did  last  year  in 
the  bit  of  pink  and  the  black  cap  on  the  old  white  mare. 
There,  he  was  quite ;»t  home,  one  of  the  neatest  handlers 
of  a  nag  that  I  ever  carne  alongside  of  in  the  field,  and,  in 
all  respects,  clever.  ID  his  present  situation,  however,  he 
is  well  placed ;  and  I  considered  Mr.  Hay's  hounds  very 
fit  to  go. 

I  very  much  like  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Hay's  first  whip- 
per-in, Will  Boxall.  He  abounds  in  zeal,  without  which 


S  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

nothing  can  be  done  well.  To  a  question  I  put  to  him  as 
we  rode  along  with  the  hounds,  he  made  me  an  answer 
which  stamped  him  for  a  good  one.  '  You  must  have  been 
tired  last  night,  blundering  so  many  hours  in  the  dark, 
were  you  not,  Will?'  said  1. — '  Why,  no,  Sir,'  replied  Will, 
'  I  was  not ;  I  was  so  afeard  about  the  hounds  never  com- 
ming  home.'  •  Thus  Shakspeare  says, 

'  To  business  that  we  love  we  rise  betime, 

And  go  to  it  with  delight.' 

On  the  next  day  (Monday  the  19th)  I  met  the  Warwick- 
shire at  Stoneleigh  Abbey,  that  princely  seat  of  Mr.  Chan- 
dos  Leigh  ;  but  the  day  and  our  sport  were  both  so  bad 
that  I  have  nothing  to  say.  I  have  one  remark,  however, 
to  make  respecting  the  country  I  was  in.  Warwickshire  is 
not — neither  do  I  suppose  it  will  ever  be — what  Warwick- 
shire was.  Berricot  Wood,  the  best  part  of  this  draw,  is 
now  given  to  Lord  Anson.  Frankton  Wood,  the  very  best 
covert  in  those  woodlands,  is  now  drawn  by  Lord  Anson. 
Ditto,  Dubdell,  a  gorse  on  Sir  Theophilus  Biddulph's  prop- 
erty, whence  his  Lordship  has  had  such  fine  sport  these 
two  last  seasons.  It  may  be  said  they  cannot  be  given  to 
a  better  man — which  I  readily  agree  to ;  but  what  is  become 
of  tke  Meriden  country — the  finest  woodland  country  in 
*  the  world — the  country  that,  when  Mr.  Corbet  hunted 
Warwickshire,  produced  such  sport — such  real  sport  to 
real-  lovers  of  fox-hunting?  I  answer  it  is  gone!  The 
Warwickshire  woodlands  are  now  termed  the  '  Kenilworth 
country,'  which  may  be  said  to  be  a  bad  exchange. 

The  following  is  the  history  of  Mr.  Hay.  as  far  as  I  have 
any  right  to  inquire  into  it.  His  residence  is  Dunse 
Castle,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Berwick-upon-Tweed  ;  and 
he  commenced  his  sporting  career  by  hunting  the  Holder- 
ness  country.  He  then  took  to  the  Woore  country  (com- 
prising part  of  Staffordshire,  Cheshire,  and  Shropshire) — 
formerly  hunted  by  Sir  Thomas  Mostyn — where  he  con- 
tinued three  seasons,  and  thence  he  came  into  Warwick- 
shire. That  he  is  a  sportsman,  no  one  can  for  a  moment 
doubt.  He  rides  very  well  up  to  his  hounds,  and  his 
language — particularly  his  cheer  in  chase — is  both  enli- 
vening and  correct. 

In  society,  the  manners  of  Mr.  Hay  are  particularly  mild 


WARWICKSHIRE.  9 

and  agreeable,  but  his  conduct  with  his  hounds  is  firm. 
Having,  at  the  commencement  of  the  season,  lost  the 
chance  of  some  runs  by  the  over-eagerness  of  his  field,  he 
adopted  the  best  method  of  preventing  a  recurrence  of  the 
disappointment.  He  addressed  his  brother  sportsmen  in  a 
short  and  pithy  speech,  when  on  the  point  o£  finding  his 
fox,  and  begged  to  explain  to  them  the  literal  acceptation 
of  those  two  little  monosyllables,  '  HOLD  HARD  !'  One  word 
to  the  wise  has  ever  been  esteemed  sufficient ;  and  two  in 
this  instance  had  a  most  happy  effect;  for  no  field  has 
been  better  kept  than  Warwickshire  since  that  hour,  and 
much  to  its  credit  be  it  told. 

Where  is  the  man  who  has  not  pressed  upon  hounds  in 
his  time ;  and  where  is  the  man  who,  in  the  exstacy  oji  the 
sport/ may  n$t  do  it  again  ? 

'  He  broke,  'tis  true,  some  statutes  of  the  laws 
Of  hunting — for  the  sagest  youth  is  frail  ; 
Rode  o'er  the  hounds,  it  may  be,  now  and  then,      • 
And  once  o'er  sev'ral  country  gentlemen.' 

BYRON'S  Don  Juan. 

But  it  is  almost  always  to  his  own  cost.  Where  is  there 
a  more  pleasing  sight  than  to  see  a  huntsman  go  forth  with 
his  pack,  and  make  his  cast  unmolested  by  the  crowd  ?  It 
is  here  that  hunting  is  displayed!  On  the  other  hand, 
what  can  be  less  pleasing  to  a  true  sportsman,  than  to  see 
hpunds  working — and  working  perhaps  in  vain — in  the 
midst  of  the  horses,  with  their  huntsman  dissatisfied  and 
grumbling,  with  a  good  fox,  and  a  fine  country  before 
them  ? 

Mr.  Hay's  kennel  is  divided  into  two  packs — a  large  and 
a  small  one.  The  former,  is  chiefly  composed  of  the 
hounds  handed  over  to  him,  with  the  country,  by  M.  Shir- 
ley ;  and  the  latter  comprises  those  which  he  brought  with 
him  from  Staffordshire.  The  large  one  comes  under  the 
denomination  of  a  fine  slapping  lot  of  hounds,  which  ought 
to  kill  their  fox  iti  any  country  and  upon  any  day  ;  whilst 
the  small  pack  goes  one  point  beyond  this.  These  hounds 
give  one  the  idea,  that,  with  a  good  scent  and  in  a  fine 
country,  they  could  burst,  and  run  in  to,  the  best  fox  that 
ever  wore  a  brush  in  less  than  half  an  hour — so  smart  and 
quick  are  they  in  their  nature.  On  the  morning  on  which 


10  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

they  brought  their  fox  from  Itchington  Heath  to  Chester- 
ton Wood,  (where  they  killed,)  I.  thought  I  never  saw 
hounds  get  more  quickly  out  of  covert  and  settle  better  to 
the  scent — running  it  as  true  and  as  close  as  if  they  had  all 
been  in  couples ;  or,  in  borrowed  but  better  language  than 
my  own,  , 

'like  the  horses  of  the  sun,  all  abreast.' 

Puggy  would  have  told  us  this,  if  he  could 'have  spoken  on 
the  occasion ;  for  in  these  few  fields  he  was  so  blown  that 
he  lay  down  in  the  covert,  and  would  not  face  the  country 
again.  This  is  as  it  should  be.  All  hounds  will  hunt  ; 
but,  as  Mr.  Beckford  so  justly  observes,  '  'tis  the  dash  of  the 
fox-hound  that  distinguishes  him.' 

U«happy  must  that  man  be  who  is  not  satisfied  with  the 
manner  in  which  Warwickshire  is  now  hunted !  There  is 
a  good  pack  of  hounds  ;  a  sportsman  at  the  head  of  them — 
a  man  full  of  zeal  and  activity,  who  values  neither  labor 
nor»  expense,  and  I  heartily  wish  him  success. 

After  hunting  I  dined  at  Leamington  with  Sir  Loftus 
Otway.  We  had  a  large  party  of  sporting  men,  and 
amongst  them,  Mr.  Meyrick,  Mr.  Buck,  and  Colonel  Rob- 
ins of  the  7th  Hussars,  who  had  all  been  out  that  morning 
with  Lord  Anson  at  Newnham,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of 
Denbigh.  A  fox  was  found  in  the  gorse,  which  afforded  a 
capital  run  of  one  hour  and  fifteen  minutes,  though  the 
finish  was  wanting.  I  was  glad  the  two  last-named  gen- 
tlemen were  out,  as  they  were  new  to  the  country ;  and 
they  were  also  fortunate  to  see  Mr.  Hay's  fine  run  on  the 
preceding  Saturday.- 

In  honor  of  the  day,  and  the  sport  it  afforded,  Sir  Loftus 
proposed  '  the  health  of  Lord  Anson.'  It  was  drunk  with 
enthusiasm.  '  What  a  gallant  fellow  over  the  country  !' 
said  one.  '  What  a  trump !'  said  another.  '  What  a 
huntsman  he  will  make  in  a  few  years!'  said  a  third.  '  By 
the  Lord,'  said  I,  'if  the  name  of  Anson  had  not  been 
immortalized  before,  this  man  would  do  the  business  !' 

Since  I  first  knew  Warwickshire,  a  great  addition  has 
been  made  to  it  in  the  town  of  Leamington.  It  now  con- 
tains several  resident  sportsmen,  who  live  sociably  together, 
and  entertain  their  friends  in  the  most  hospitable  manner. 
Amongst  them  is  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Moray,  from 


MR.  BOYCOTT.  11 

the  county  of  Perth,  a  Major  in  the  Dragoon  service.  The 
Major  is  a  bruising  rider,  and  by  far  the  best  mounted  man 
I  saw  in  Warwickshire.  In  addition  to  the  excellent  stamp 
of  his  horses,  their  condition  is  quite  perfect.  In  short  I 
have  no  scruple  in  saying,  that  I  never  saw,  four  times  in 
my  life,  six  horses  in  one  man's  possession  in  such  a  fit 
state  to  go  as  his  are.  They  are  full  of  flesh  of  the  right 
sort,  and  their  muscles  quite  luxuriant.  I  say  this  with 
increased  satisfaction,  because  these  horses,  instead  of 
being  turned  out  in  the  summer,  travelled  eight  hundred 
miles  on  the  turnpike  road,  and  were  kept  on  hard  meat. 
The  Major  assured  me  he  never  had  them  in  such  tune 
before,  either  with  respect  to  their  legs  and  feet,  or  their 
bodies.  '  I  may  blow  them,'  said  he,  '  but  I  cannot  tire 
them. ' 

On  the  second  of  January  (1820)  I  got  upon  the  Hiber- 
nia  at  Oxford  on  my  road  to  Shrewsbury  Hunt.  The 
Gentlemen  of  the  Hunt  not  assembling  until  the  third,  I 
stopped  short  at  Shiffnal,  and  hunted  with  Mr.  Boycott's 
hounds  on  that  day,  which  met  within  four  miles  of  the 
place.  * 

The  following  is  all  I  know  of  Mr.  Boycott's  present 
establishment.  On  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  giving  up 
what  is  called  the  Shiffnal  country  last  season,  Mr.  Boycott 
took  to  it  with  a  subscription,  and  he  keeps  the  hounds  at 
Rudge,  his  seat  on  the  Bridgenorth  side  of  the  country, 
and  hunts  three  days  a  week.  His  pack  was  purchased 
from  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Nunn,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Colchester  in  Essex,  and  to  which  he  has  added 
some  drafts  from  one  or  two  other  kennels.  He  hunts 
them  himself,  assisted  by  Lord  Middleton's  late  celebrated 
whipper-in,  Zac,  and  Skinner,  late  whipper-in  to  Mr.  Hay 
in  tlie  Woore  Country. 

Our  place  of  meeting  was  in  the  Bridgenorth  country, 
whence,  after  drawing  blank  one  or  two  small  coverts,  we 
proceeded  to  Apley  Castle,  the  magnificent  seat  of  Mr- 
Whitmore,  M.  P.  for  Bridgenorth,  whose  extensive  woods 
we  drew  without  a  touch.  Mr.  Whitmore  relinquished  fox- 
hunting, of  which  he  was  once  such  an  admirer  ;  but  his 
younger  brother  still  sticks  to  the  brush  ;  and  I  hope,  for 
the  honor  of  Shropshire,  we  shall  never  be  without  a  de- 


12  MMROD'S  HUNTING  TOVR. 

scendant  of  '  the  might)'  Belesme'  in  the  field.  We  got  on 
the  stale  scent  of  a  fox  afterwards — just  enough  to  tanta- 
lize us — and  thus  ended  the  draw. 

I  was  given  to  understand  that  the  hounds  Mr.  Boycott 
had  out  of  Essex  brought  with  them  a  very  good  character 
for  hunting,  but  not  much  else.  They  are  very  uneven  to 
the  eye,  and  their  condition  was  wretched.  In  short  they 
were  all  but  diseased.  The  uneveness  to  the  eye  cannot, 
of  course,  be  remedied  in  this  short  time;  but  I  must  give  Mr. 
Boycott  and  Zac  great  credit  for  bringing  them  to  covert 
in  the  clean  and  wholesome  state  in  which  I  saw  them  on 
this  day ;  and,  considering  the  season,  I  understand  they 
have  had  quite  their  share  of  sport. 

After  this  day's  hunting  (if  such  it  could  be  called)  Mr. 
Boycott  drove  me  in  his  gig  to  Shrewsbury,  whether  he 
was  going  to  attend  the  Hunt  Meeting,  and  I  on  a*  visit  to 
my  old  friend  Sir  Bellingham  Graham.  Sir  B.  Besides  in  a 
very  commodious  house  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  Shrews- 
bury— the  property  of  Mr.  Loxdale,  Town  Clerk  of 
Shrewsbury  ;  but  I  found  him  not  in  the  most  comfortable 
situation  I  ever  saw  him  in.  He  was  sitting,  half  asleep, 
by  his  fire  side,  having  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  entirely 
lost  his  hounds,  and  missed  one  of  the  finest  runs  they  had 
had  for  some  time.  The  fact  was,  they  had  slipped  away 
down  winH  at  a  ripping  pace,  and  taking  a  most  severe 
country,  all  against  the  collar,  his  chance  catching  them 
was  at  an  end  ;  so  he  came  home. 

Wednesday  the  4th,  Sir  Bellingham's  hounds  met  at 
the  Fox  on  the  Ellesmere  road,  four  miles  from  Shrewsbu- 
ry. The  morning  was  awkward,  and  the  fallows  hard,  but 
we  had  a  sharp  thing  for  about  twenty-five  minutes,  and 
lost  by  an  untoward  check.  On  this  day  I  was  much 
struck  with  the  workmanship  of  a  youth  about  fourteen 
years  old,  apparently  the  son  of  a  Shropshire  yeoman.  It 
was  somewhat  singular,  that,  on  inquiring  his  name  from 
Mr.  Evered  Feilding,  I  was  informed  that  he  was  the  nephew 
of  a  Mr.  Stephen  Matthews,  a  respectable  Shrophshire  yeo- 
man, then  close  by  my  side.  Mr.  Matthews  himself  is  cap- 
ital over  a  country ;  and  I  ventured  to  tell  him  his  nephew 
would  make  quite  a  first-rate  performer.  He  put  his  mare 
at  her  fences  in  a  most  workmanlike  manner,  and  display- 


SHROPSHIRE.  13 

ed  a  method  of  handling  her  very  rare  at  his  time  of  life. 
Knowing  where  I  could  have  placed  her,  I  asked  him  if  he 
would  sell  his  little  mare  ;  when  he  shook  his  head,  and 
said,  '  No,  never.' 

On  the  5th,  Sir  Bellingham  met  at  Sundorn,  the  seat  of 
the  late  Mr.  Corbet.  We  found  immediately,  and  went 
very  sharply  away  to  Haman  hill,  where,  under  the  shelf 
of  the  precipice,  the  pack  divided,  and,  unseen  by  every- 
one but  the  first  whipper-in,  all  but  six  couples  and  a  half 
went  away  to  Attingham  (Lord  Berwick's)  with  a  'fresh 
fox.  Strange  to  say,  we  ran  the  hunted  fox  for  more  than 
an  hour  with  these  six  couples  and  a  half  through  a  long 
chain  of  coverts,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but  we  should  have 
killed  him,  had  we  not  again  changed.  The  scent  was  a 
burning  one  ;  and  by  not  having  the  body  of  the  hounds, 
the  lovers  of  fox  hunting  lost  a  great  treat,  for  it  was  an 
excellent  morning  for  hearing  them,  and  the  deep  notes  of 
the  dog  pack — which  we  had  on  this  day  would  have  made 
the  welkin  ring. 

Sir  Bellingham  and  myself  dined  at  Sundorn  Castle  on 
this  day  with  Mrs.  Corbet  (widow  of  that  justly-esteemed 
sportsman,)  who  now,  with  her  four  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, resides  in  the  house,  and  where  the  former  munifi- 
cence of  the  establishment  seems  by  no  means  diminished. 
Some  alterations  have  certainly  taken  place,  produced  by 
the  sweeping  hand  of  Time.  Instead  of  sixty  couples  of 
the  blood  of  Trojans,  with  Will  Barrow  at  their  head,  the 
kennel  contains  a  small  pack  of  harriers,  kept  by  the  pre- 
sent Mr.  Corbet — and  Will  Barrow  is  dead. 

Every  sportsman  will  like  to  hear  what  was  the  finish  of 
the  noted  Will  Barrow,  whose  halloo  so  often  thrilled 
through  my  soul.  He  descended  in  the  scale,  and,  from  a 
huntsman  to  fox-hounds,  became  huntsman  to  the  present 
Mr.  Corbet's  harriers;  and  an  excellent  one  he  was  sup- 
posed to  be.  In  following  them  one  day  last  year,  his 
horse  fell  with  him,  and  in  three  weeks  he  was  in  his 
grave.  Ye  fates,  how  cruel !  Will  Barrow  (as  he  lived 
so  well  with  them)  should  have  died  with  fox-hounds,  and 
the  brush  of  his  last  fox  should  have  wave  among  his  fun- 
eral plumes  ; 

VOL.  II.  2 


14  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

'  For  could  we  choose  the  time,  and  choose  arigM, 
'Tis  best  to  die,  our  honor  at  the  height.' 

The  most  extraordinary  part  of  Will  Barrow's  history  is 
yet  to  come.  In  boxes  in  which  he  kept  his  clothes,  in 
old  stockings,  and  in  all  sorts  of  odd  places,  was  property 
to  the  amount  of  fourteen  hundred  pounds  found  at  his 
decease,  besides  suits  of  clothes — many  of  them  never  put 
on — sufficient  for  a  parish  !  !  It  appears  that  he  had  not 
taken  any  steps  to  increase  his  property  by  placing  his 
money  at  interest ;  neither  had  he  any  wish  to  settle  him- 
self in  a  farm,  or  any  other  respectable  situation  in  life  ; 
but  -seemed  to  think  his  favorite  saddle  room  and  the 
servant's  hall  at  Sundorn  quite  good  enough  for  him.  His 
bones  repose  in  the  church-yard  at  Uffington,  about  a  mile 
from  Sundorn,  and  on  the  headstone  of  his  tomb  are  the 
following  lines : — 

Of  this  world's  pleasures  I  have  had  my  share, 

For  few  the  sorrows  I  was  doom'd  to  bear  : 

How  oft  I  have  enjoy'd  the  noble  chase 

Of  hounds  and  foxes,  each  striving  for  the  race ! 

But  the  knell  of  Death  calls  me  away  ; 

So,  sportsmen,  farewell  ! — I  must  obey. 

The  pen  of  NIMROD  cannot  fail  in  being  somewhat 
lavish  of  its  praise  of  so  sporting  a  county  as  Shropshire, 
and  therefore  his  readers  must  make  all  due  allowances. 
In  the  first  place,  there  may  be  seen  in  it — all  on  the  same 
day — four  packs  of  hounds : — viz.  Sir  B.  Graham's,  Sir 
Richard  Puleston's,  Mr.  Boycott's,  and  Mr.  Wickstead's. 
In  the  next,  there  are  two  Hunt  weeks  in  the  year  at 
Shrewsbury — attended  by  almost  all  the  gentlemen  of  rank 
and  property  in  that  and  the  neighboring  counties — each 
week  also  affording  a  splendid  ball  and  supper  for  the 
ladies.  The  Old  Hunt  meets  in  November,  and  several 
pleasant  days  have  I  passed  at  it.  The  Young  One  (as 
tome  call  it)  was  only  established  five  years  since ;  but  its 
ball  is  considered  the  best,  being  the  more  select  of  the 
two.  The  uniform  of  the  members  is  also  a  set-off  to  a 
ball-room,  being  a  scarlet  coat,  buff  waistcoat  and  breech- 
es, with  gilt  knee  buckles,  and  handsome  uniform  buttons 
to  all.  The  champagne  also  travels  a  merry  pace  in  the 
supper  room,  which  is  not  the  case  among  the  '  old  ones.' 


SHROPSHIRE.  15 

In  short,   the   tout  ensemble   is  quite    imposing    for    the 
country. 

Oil  Saturday  the  7th,  we  met  at  Acton  Reynald,  the 
seat  of  Mr.  Andrew  Corbet,  only  son  of  Sir  Andrew  ;  but 
owing  to  not  being  able  to  keep  our  foxes  above-ground, 
we  had  no  sport  worth  detailing.  I  mounted  Mr.  Alytton 
on  this  day  (who  had  no  horses  at  Shrewsbury,)  and  never 
saw  any  mare  for  five  days  afterwards  ;  but  this  is  a  trifle 
among  old  friends,  and  she  was  very  well  taken  care  of  at 
Halston. 

I  have  often  seen  hounds  fed,  but  never  in  a  more 
masterly  way  than  that  which  Will  Staples,  Sir  Belling- 
ham's  first  whipper-in,  adopts,  and  which  I  will  endeavor 
to  explain.  He  throws  open  the  door  of  the  feeding-house, 
and  stands  at  a  certain  distance  from  it  himself.  He 
draws  a  certain  number  of  hounds,  calling  them  by  their 
names.  He  then  turns  his  back  upon  the  open  door-way, 
and  walks  up  and  down  the  troughs,  ordering  back  such 
hounds  as  he  thinks  have  fed  sufficiently.  During  this 
time  not  a  hound  stirs  beyond  the  sill  of  the  open  door. 
One  remarkable  instance  of  discipline  presented  itself  on 
this  day.  Vulcan — the  crowning  ornament  of  the  dog- 
pack — was  standing  near  the  door  waiting  for  his  name  to 
be  called.  I  happened  to  mention  it,  though  rather  in' an 
under-tone  ;  when  in  he  came — licked  Sir  Bellingham'.s 
hand — but  though  his  head  was  close  to  the  trough,  and 
the  grateful  viands  smoking  under  his  nose,  he  never 
attempted  to  eat ;  but  on  his  master  saying  to  him,  '  Go 
back,  Vulcan,  you  have  no  business  here ! '  he  immediate- 
ly retreated  and  mixed  with  the  hungry  crowd.  No  whip 
was  necessary  to  keep  the  hounds  out  of  the  feeding- 
house  :  and  a  gentle  stroke  of  the  thong — with  very  few 
exceptions — turned  such  away  from  the  troughs  which 
refused  to  leave  them  on  their  names  being  called. 

The  kennel  which  now  contains  Sir  Bellingham  Gra- 
ham's hounds  was  built  the  year  before  last,  by  subscription, 
on  a  very  liberal  scale,  on  ground  purchased  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  reflects  much  credit  on  Shropshire.  It  is  capable 
of  holding  one  hundred  couples  of  hounds,  with  every 
requisite  convenience,  and  is  situated  within  a  mile  of 
Shrewsbury  on  the  road  to  Whitchurch  and  Newport, 


16  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Many  of  the  hounds  were  last  year  affected  by  kennel 
lameness,  owing  to  the  dampness  of  the  walls ;  but  this  Sir 
Bellingham  has  effectually  put  a  stop  to,  by  having  a  stove 
in  each  of  the  lodging-houses.  Although  the  use  of  the 
stoves  has  not  restored  such  hounds  as  were  previously 
affected,  yet  Sir  Bellingham  informed  me  that  it  has  com- 
pletely prevented  the  progress  of  the  disease  ;  and  so  con- 
vinced is  he  of  the  benefit  derived  from  warmth  in  a 
kennel,  that,  after  this  season,  he  intends  having  one  large 
fire-place  at  the  back  of  his  present  kennel,  with  flues  to 
convey  warm  air  into  the  different  apartments.  As  it  is  at 
present,  it  is  curious  to  see  how  the  hounds  enjoy  the  heat 
of  the  fire.  They  get  around  the  stove  as  soon  as  they 
come  in ;  and  instead  of  seeing  a  damp  steam,  arising 
from  their  wet  skins,  hanging  over  them  for  some 
time,  they  are  dry  and  comfortable  in  the  space  of  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  Trie  temperature  is  of  course,  after  a 
certain  time  reduced ;  but  it  is  amusing  to  see  how  the 
hounds  sit  about  the  stove,  nodding  their  heads  in  a  dose, 
as  much  as  to  say,  '  How  comfortable  we  are  ! ' 

The  stables  adjoining  the  kennel  are  built  on  the  same 
liberal  scale,  and  contain  stalls  for  twenty  horses,  and  six 
loose  boxes.  The  joint  expense  of  the  stables,  saddle-room, 
and  kennel,  exceeded  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  pounds. 

Monday  the  9th. — Thermometer  at  28.  Nothing  for  it 
again  but  the  kennel,  and  grumbling. 

Tuesday  the  10th. — Sir  Bellingham  and  myself  went  to 
Halston  to  spend  the  day  with  Mr.  Mytton.  After  lunch- 
eon we  turned  out  into  the  preserves,  where  the  pheasants 
were  as  thick  as  sparrows  at  a  barn  door,  and  the 
hares  running  about  like  rabbits.  The  team  consisted 
(not  of  highly-broke  pointers,  but)  of  four  keepers  and 
three  stable  boys,  who  kept  singing  out,  as  the  pheasants 
got  up,  '  Cock — hen — cock — hen — cock — hen.'  Pheas- 
ants and  hares  in  abundance  were  of  course  slaughtered 
on  this  afternoon,  but  do'nt  let  us  call  this  sporting. 

Our  party  at  Halston  consisted  of  Sir  Edward  Smythe, 
Mr.  Williams  (son  of  the  General,)  Sir  Bellingham,  and 
myself,  and  as  three  of  the  five  were  old  masters  of  fox- 
hounds, our  evening  was  rather  a  larking  one.  After  a  hot 
supper  (obsolete  almost  everywhere  but  at  Halston,)  we 


SHROPSHIRE.  17 

took  a  walk — not  in  the  groves  of  Academus,  but  into  the 
ale  and  wine  cellars,  with  a  cigar  in  our  cheek  just  to  keep 
out  the  cold.  In  the  first,  we  saw  hogsheads  of  ale*  stand- 
ing like  soldiers  in  close  column  ;  and  in  the  other,  in 
bottle  and  in  wood,  wine  enough  for  a  Roman  Emperor. 

On  the  following  morning  as  we  were  sitting  down  to 
breakfast,  Mr.  Mytton  requested  me  to  accompany  him  to 
the  stables  to  see  his  Oaks  filly.  His  dress  at  the  time 
(which,  considering  the  thermometer  was  four  degrees 
below  freezing,  with  snow  on  the  ground,  was  rather  airy 
than  otherwise)  consisted  of  his  shirt,  slippers,  and  dress- 
ing gown.  VVe  walked  to  the  stable  in  which  the  filly 
was,  when  Mr.  Mytton  approached  her,  and  after  jumping 
on  her  back,  and  playing  two  or  three  other  harlequin 
tricks,  he  laid  himself  down  at  full  length  under  her  belly, 
with  his  naked  head  towards  her^heels — playing  with  her 
tail,  tickling  her  about  the  legs,  &,c.  '  I  cannot  stand  this,' 
said  I,  and  bolted  out  of  the  stable,  though  earnestly  en- 
treated by  my  friend  to  stop,  as  he  had  not  half  done. 

After  breakfast,  we  all  adjourned  to  the  stables,  and 
looked  over  the  hunting  and  racing  studs.  The  latter  con- 
sisted of  twenty-two.  Longwaist  was  looking  quite  fresh 
and  well ;  but  I  saved  my  breath  by  not  asking  any  ques- 
tions. Our  worthy  host  could  not  help  larking  with  some 
of  these,  and,  amongst  other  tricks,  crept  under  Oswestry's 
belly.  '  He  will  do  that  once  too  often,'  said  William 
Dilly  with  a  sigh.  '  Right,  Mr.  Dilly,'  said  I ;  '  and  good- 
tempered  as  your  Oaks  filly  is,  if  once  she  get  alarmed, 
she  will  knock  out  Mr.  Mytton's  brains.'  Joking  apart, 
this  is  what  is  called  on  the  turf  '  giving  away  a  chance ; ' 
but  John  Mytton  will  be  John  Mytton  :  '  he  heareth  not 
the  voice  of  the  charmer,  charm  he  never  so  wisely ; '  and, 
like  Homer's  divinities,  is  always  in  mischief. 

We  next  visited  the  kennel,  where  we  saw  about  thirty 
couples  of  hounds.  What  to  call  them  I  know  not :  some 
were  as  big  as  my  yard  dog,  and  here  and  there  a  neat 

*  Mr.  Mytton  makes  his  own  malt,  and  Jthe  words, '  John 
Mytton,  licensed  maltster,'  are  painted  in  large  letters  over  his 
malt-house  door.  How  fortunate  it  is  that  there  is  no  license 
required  to  drink  ! 

VOL.  ii.  2* 


18  MMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

little  bitch  ;  and  whether  to  call  them  fox-hounds,  harriers, 
or  stag-hounds,  would  take  a  better  judge  than  me.  This 
was  all  very  well ;  but  we  were  next  favored  with  another 
sight,  not  quite  so  agreeable  to  Sir  Bellingham.  This  was 
no  less  than  five  brace  of  foxes,  to  be  turned  out  before 
this  non-descript  pack.  But  for  this,  I  should  say  that 
the  Squire  of  Halston,  with  all  his  larking,  would  get  to 
Heaven  after  all ;  but  I  know  not  what  to  think  about  tin 
bog.  It  is  one  of  the  worst  crimes  we  fox-hunters  know 
of,  and  requires  hard  penance.* 

I  have  one  more  anecdote  of  this  extraordinary  man. 
During  my  visit  to  Sir  Bellingham,  Mr.  Mytton  dined  with 
him  twice.  On  one  occasion,  the  night  being  very  dark, 
the  post-boy  conducted  him  into  a  meadow,  instead  of 
taking  a  short  turn  in  the  road  ;  and  after  driving  him 
around  it  a  great  many  times,  without  being  able  to  find 
his' way  out,  he  left  him  there  comfortably  asleep  in  his 
carriage,  whilst  he  came  back  to  Sir  Bellingham's  for  a 
lanthorn.  As  the  household  were  all  gone  to  rest,  the 
Squire  of  Halston  must  have  had  a  good  many  turns  round 
the  meadow  ;  but,  fortunately  for  the  post-boy  ,  he  never 
awoke,  neither  was  he  at  all  aware  of  what  had  happened. 

To  be  serious. — What  would  become  of  Shrewsbury 
and  Oswestry  races — what  would  become  of  half  a  dozen 
other  country  races,  were  it  not  for  John  Mytton  ?  What 
would  become  of  the  poor  about  Halston  ?  What  would 
his  friends  do  for  a  lark  ?  All  these  questions  I  am  not 
going  to  answer ;  but  this  I  will  say,  that  one  of  these  days 
he  must  drop  short.  Indeed,  what  with  falls  from  horses 

*  We  are  often  reminded  that  no  man  is  a  prophet  in  his  own 
country  ;  but  it  is  no  bad  sign  when  his  character  stands  fair- 
est in  his  own  neighborhood.  This  without  any  humbug,  is 
the  case  with  the  Squire  of  Halston.  He  gives  two  bushels  of 
wheat  every  week  to  the  poor,  and  employs  nearly  fifty  of 
them  the  year  through.  Charity,  we  are  told,  covereth  a  mul- 
titude of  sins  ;  but  he  has  one  other  saving  clause  :  he  is  no 
hypocrite !  It  can  never  be  said  of  him  when  he  is  gone, 
that— 

'  So  smooth  he  daubed  his  vice  with  show  of  virtue, 

That,  his  apparent  guilt  omitted, 

He  lived  from  all  attainder  of  suspect.' 


SHROPSHIRE.  19 

— run-away  gigs — upsets  in  carriages — swimming  his  horse 
over  the  Severn* — tumbling  into  the  Severn — to  say  noth- 
ing of  twelve  paces — being  hugged  to  death  by  the  bear, 
or  his  brains  kicked  out  by  the  Oaks  filly — it  is  next  to  a 
miracle  that  he  is  now  alive.  I  am  sorry  to  say,  I  am  al- 
most old  enough  to  be  his  father  ;  nevertheless,  unless  he 
minds  what  he  is  at,  I  must  see  him  out.  If  I  do  (as  1  have 
written  my  own,)  I  will  also  write  his  epitaph.  It  shall  be 
plain  and  simple ;  no  weeping  over  the  urn — not  a  word 
about  the  disconsolate  widow — no  cherubims — nothing 
typical — nothing  to  hint  as  to  whether  his  soul  is  gone — 
no  humbug,  but  merely  a  record  of  the  melancholy 
truth  : — 

Here  lies  John  Mytton  ;  his  short  career  is  past, 

The  pace  was  quick,f  and  therefore  could  not  last. 

From  end  to  end  he  went  an  errant  burst, 

Determined  to  be  nowhfere,  or  be  first. 

No  marble  monument  proclaims  his  fate — 

No  pompous  emblems  of  funereal  state  ; 

But  let  this  simple  tablet  say, 

That,  upon  a  much-lamented  day, 

There  went  to  ground  beneath  this  mould'ring  sod 

'  Jin  honest  man — the  noblest  work  of  God.' 

On  Wednesday  the  llth  Sir  Bellingham  and  myself  took 
leave  of  Halston,  and  went  to  Emral  to  spend  a  day  with 
Sir  Richard  Puleston,  one  of  the  staunchest  fox-hunters 
this  country  ever  saw — having  kept  fox-hounds  upwards  of 
thirty  years,  and  now  just  as  keen  as  ever  for  the  sport. 
We  looked  over  his  kennel  and  stables  before  dinner,  and 
spent  a  very  pleasant  evening  after. 

I  n  ast  now  restrain  my  pen,  for  I  have  a  serious  subject 
before  me,  no  less  than  an  humble  attempt  to  describe  one 
of  the  most  celebrated  sportsman  of  modern  days — Sir 
Bellingham  Graham.  We  historians  are  said  to  be  either 

*  The  year  before  last,  Mr.  Mytton  swam  his  horse  over  the 
Severn,  though  he  himself  cannot  swim  ;  and  a  short  time 
since  he  fell  into  one  of  the  deepest  parts  of  that  river  out  of 
a  ferry-boat,  and  was  only  saved  by  a  friend  catching  him  by 
one  of  his  legs  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  getting  under  the 
boat. 

f  Nil  violentum  est  perpetuum. 


•20  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

libellers  or  panegyrists.  I  must  endeavor  to  be  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other  ;  but  to  praise  a  man  for  what  is  deserv- 
ing of  praise  is  only  a  tribute  due  to  him. 

The  first  time  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  appeared  as  a 
master  of  fox-hounds  was  in  the  year  1815,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Musters  in  the  Badsworth  country,  which  he 
hunted  two  seasons.  He  then  took  possession  of  the 
Atherstone  country  (now  Lord  Anson's)  on  its  being 
vacated  by  Mr.  Osbaldeston,  when  that  gentleman  first 
went  to  Quorn,  and  he  hunted  it  three  seasons.  In  1820 
he  succeeded  that  gallant  sportsman,  Sir  Charles  Knightley, 
in  Northamptonshire,  (the  Pytchley) ;  and  in  December 
1821,  on  Mr.  Osbaldeston's  declining  Leicestershire,  Sir 
Bellingham  took  to  it,  and  hunted  it  the  remainder  of  that 
and  the  next  season.  In  1823  he  hunted  the  country  Mr. 
Boycott  now  has.  In  1824,  he  hunted  Mr.  Boycott's  coun- 
try and  the  Shropshire  :  and  since  the  end  of  that  season 
he  has  had  Shropshire  alone. 

The  following  is  a  little  history  of  Sir  Bellingham  Gra- 
ham's kennel.  Upon  his  leaving  the  Pytchley  country, 
where  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Musters,  his  hounds  were 
divided  between  them,  by  drawing  alternate  couples.  On 
his  going  to  Quorn,  he  purchased  from  Mr.  Osbaldeston, 
together  with  the  house  and  eighteen  horses,  all  that  gen- 
tleman's hounds,  excepting  twenty-five  couples  which  he 
reserved  for  himself.  On  the  other '  hand,  when  Mr. 
Osbaldeston  took  to  Leicestershire  again — on  Sir  Belling- 
ham's  resigning  it — Sir  Bellingham  reserved  the  same 
number  of  hounds  (only  twenty-five  couples,)  which  Mr. 
Osbaldeston  afterwards  purchased  of  him  for  eleven  hun- 
dred pounds.  Here,  then,  have  we  run  this  sporting 
Baronet  to  ground,  for  we  have  him  (and,  if  I  know  the 
man,  we  had  better  kill  him  at  once  than  leave  him  there) 
without  a  hound  in  his  kennel.  A  lucky  card,  however, 
turned  up.  Mr.  Osbaldeston  found  himself  in  possession 
of  so  large  a  body  of  hounds,  that  he  selected  about 
twenty  couples,  which,  from  age  and  other  causes,  he  did 
not  wish  to  keep  ;  and  in  the  ensuing  spring  Sir  Belling- 
ham purchased  them.  Thus  then  did  he  lay  the  founda- 
tion of  his  present  pack :  thus  is  the  blood  of  Abelard, 


SHROPSHIRE.  21 

Charon,  Marmion,  and  Orpheus,  still  to  be  found  in  his 
kennel. 

In  1818  Sir  Bellingham  purchased  Mr.  Newnham's 
pack,  on  that  gentleman's  resigning  Worcestershire,  which 
contained  much  good  blood,  and  he  has  had  Lord  Lons- 
dale's  dratfs  for  some  years.  In  short,  he  seldom  refuses 
any  drafts  that  are  offered  him,  in  hopes  of  picking  up 
something  good.  When  I  was  with  him,  Mr.  Boycott  sent 
him  a  draft  he  had  had  from  the  Badsworth,  from  his  (Sir 
B's.)  old  whipper-in,  Jack  Richards — which,  he  said,  were 
so  wild  that  he  was  afraid  to  take  them  out.  Cottager, 
however,  appears  a  valuable  hound,  and  two  or  three  neat 
bitches  will  come  in  well  with  Sir  Bellingham's  bitch  pack  : 
cut,  in  the  words  of  an  old  whipper-in  to  the  Old  Berkeley, 
some  of  them  would  '  run  any  thing  from  a  hearwig  to  a 
hdlephani.' 

There  is  one  part  of  Sir  Bellingham  Graham's  history, 
as  a  public  character,  which  is  eminently  entitled  to  no- 
tice ;  and  that  is,  the  very  liberal  hand  with  which  he  has 
conducted  every  establishment  that  he  has  undertaken  the 
management  of.  Passing  over  what  may  be  called  his 
minor  countries,  but  countries  in  which  he  has  left  his 
mark,  let  us  look  at  him  when  he  took  to  Leicestershire. 
On  learning  that  this  fine  country  was  vacant,  and  it  was 
desirable  that  he  should  hunt  it — he  had' just  entered  upon 
the  Hambledon  country  in  Hampshire,  under  an  engage- 
ment for  three  years,  and  had  taken  a  house  in  it  for  twelve 
— how  did  he  act  on  this  occasion  ?  Why,  without  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation  he  resolved  to  take  Leicestershire,  pur- 
chase Mr.  Osbaldeston's  house,  hounds,  and  horses,  and 
leave  a  part  of  his  own  pack,  with  his  first  whipper-in,  to 
fulfil  his  engagement  with  Hampshire.  He  came  forward  in 
this  instance  without  one  guinea  being  guarantied  to  him 
either  for  hounds  or  coverts  ;  but  fortune  favored  him  in  one 
respect:  Mr.  Osbaldeston  took  Hampshire  off  his  hands, 
and  Mr.  John  Walker  succeeded  to  it  the  folowing  year. 

Of  the  feeling  towards  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  as  a 
sportsman,  the  best  test  is  to  be  found  in  the  amount  of 
the  subscription  raised  for  him  during  the  two  years  he  was 
in  Leicestershire,  which  much  exceeded  that  of  any  previ- 
ous or  subsequent  period.  For  the  first  year,  it  amount- 


22  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

ed  (for  hounds  and  coverts)  to  the  large  sum  of  3160/. 
And  here  I  must  be  permitted  to  mention  the  liberal 
and  straight-forward  conduct  of  Sir  Francis  Burdett, 
which  was  related  to  me  by  a  member  of  the  Melton  Old 
Club,  and  therefore  1  can  vouch  for  the  truth  of  it.  My 
friend  was  endeavoring  to  start  the  subscription  for  Sir 
Bellingham,  and  paid  Sir  Francis  the  well  merited  compli- 
ment of  soliciting  his  name  at  the  head  of  the  subscribers. 
'  What  sum  shall  I  write?'  said  my  friend.  '  Put  me  down 
for  three  hundred  pounds,'  said  Sir  Francis;  '  and  if  that 
is  not  sufficient,  I  am  good  for  two  more.'  There  was  no 
occasion,  however,  to  tax  his  liberality  so  far. 

Sir  Bellingham  Graham  was  very  fortunate  in  being  able 
to  requite  all  this  kindness  of  bis  friends  by  the  sport  he 
shewed  them  when  he  hunted  Leicestershire.  I  was  told 
last  year  at  Melton,  by  one  of  his  many  admirers  there, 
that  the  second  season  his  old  pack  (which  hunted  twice  a 
week)  killed  every  fox  they  found  in  the  first  six  weeks. 

I  asked  Sir  Bellingham  why  he  quitted  Leicestershire — 
certainly  the  first  hunting  country  in  the  known  world,  and 
where  he  had  an  establishment  so  suited  to  it.  His  answer 
did  him  honor.  His  returns  to  his  tenants,  during  those 
disastrous  years,  were,  he  said,  so  great,  that  he  could  not 
have  continued  in  it  with  justice  to  those  who  were  depen- 
dent on  him.  With  such  a  subscription  as  his,  however, 
that  it  should  have  cost  him  any  serious  sum,  is  the  best 
proof  of  the  magnificent  way  in  which  he  hunted  it. 

Of  Sir  Bellingham  Graham,  as  a  horseman  ahd  a  perfor- 
mer over  a  country,  I  need  say  but  little.  The  Earl  of 
Darlington,  in  his  Field  Book  for  1810,  in  which  he  enters 
the  proceedings  of  every  day's  hunting,  thus  mentions  Sir 
Bellingham  as  a  youngster :  '  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  was 
out  on  this  day,  and  rode  conspicuously  and  well.'  Now, 
many  a  young  man  has  ridden  conspic uoush/ ;  but  his 
Lordship's  addition  of  the  word  '  weir  cannot  be  lost  upon 
us.  Every  man  who  has  seen  Sir  Bellingham  can  bear 
record,  that  he  ranks  among  the  very  best  heavy  weights 
England  has  ever  produced.  Much  as  I  myself  have  ad- 
mired his  powerful,  quick,  and  determined  manner  of  get- 
ting across  a  country,  I  will  quote  nothing  from  my  own 
observation,  but  will  repeat — sufficient  for  my  purpose — 


SHROPSHIRE.  23 

what  was  told  me  last  winter  at  Melton  by  several  of  the 
leading  characters  there ;  namely,  that  (almost  incredible 
as  it  may  appear)  there  was  not  one  single  instance  of  his 
not  being  well  with  his  hounds  during  the  two  seasons  he 
hunted  Leicestershire — the  more  remarkable  as  the  coun- 
try was  not  only  new  to  him,  but,  in  the  first  year,  more 
than  usually  deep,  and  his  weight  sixteen  stone.  In  the 
celebrated  run  from  Glen  Gorse  to  Stanton,  he  particularly 
distinguished  himself.  He  took  the  lead  ;  and  though  two 
of  the  best  light-weights  in  England — Mr.  William  Coke 
and  Mr.  George  Anson — started  within  half  a  field  of  him, 
they  could  never  catch  him  till  all  was  over. 

As  is  the  case  with  most  hard-riding  men,  Sir  Belling- 
ham  Graham  has  had  some  severe  falls,  but  on  two  occa- 
sions he  very  narrowly  escaped  destruction.  The  follow- 
ing rare  instance  of  his  pluck,  however,  should  not  be  lost 
to  the  sporting  world.  He  was  killing  his  fox  at  the  end 
of  a  sharp  thing,  when  an  ox-fence  presented  itself.  Three 
first-rate  performers  were  going  in  the  same  line,  but  they 
would  not  have  it.  Sir  Bellingham  never  turned  his  horse, 
and  cleared  all  but  the  rail  on  the  opposite  side,  which 
probably  his  weight  would  have  broken  ;  but  unfortunately 
his  horse  alighted  on  one  of  the  posts,  and  was  turned  over 
on  his  rider's  chest.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  Sir  Bel- 
lingham re-mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  on ;  but  he  had 
not  proceeded  many  yards  when  he  was  observed  by  Sir 
Harry  Goodricke  to  be  in  the  act  of  falling  to  the  ground, 
but  which  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  prevent.  From  that 
period — about  twelve  o'clock  at  noon  till  nine  o'clock  the 
next  night— Sir  Bellingham  never  knew  what  had  happen- 
ed to  him ;  and  as  he  lay  under  the  hay-stack — whither 
his  friends  removed  him  at  the  time  of  the  accident — every 
moment  was  expected  to  be  his  last.  The  pith  of  the  story, 
however,  is  yet  to  come.  He  was  bled  three  times  the  first 
day,  and  confined  to  his  bed  five.  On  the  seventh,  to  the 
utter  surprise,  and  indeed  annoyance,  of  his  friends,  he 
was  seen  in  his  carriage  at  ScraptofF,  merely,  as  he  said, 
'  to  see  his  hounds  throw  off.'  The  carriage  not  being 
able  to  get  up  to  the  spinney,  Sir  Bellingham  mounted  a 
quiet  old  horse  (placed  there,  no  doubt,  for  the  purpose,) 
muffled  up  in  a  rough  great  coat  and  a  shawl,  and  looked  on. 


24  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

The  fox  was  found ;  and,  unfortunately  for  Sir  Bellingham, 
took  a  short  ring,  but  returned,  and  his  hounds  came  to  a 
check  close  to  where  he  was  sitting  upon  his  horse.  Will 
Beck  (the  huntsman  pro  tempore)  not  being  up  with  his 
hounds,  the  Baronet  cast  them,  and  recovered  his  fox.  In 
three  fields  they  checked  again,  and  Beck  made  a  slow  but 
by  no  means  a  brilliant  cast.  Sir  Bellingham  saw  all  this 
from  the  hill ;  and,  no  longer  a  looker-on,  he  cantered 
down  to  his  pack,  and  hit  off  his  fox  again.  Things  still 
went  on  but  awkwardly.  Another  error  was  observed ; 
when  Sir  Bellingham — annoyed  that  a  large  field  should 
be  disappointed  of  their  sport  when  there  was  a  possibility 
of  having  it — taking  a  horn  from  a  whipper-in  (for  he 
could  not  speak  to  them,)  got  to  work  again.  The  hounds 
mended  their  pace  :  down  went  the  shawl  in  the  middle  of 
a  field.  They  improved  upon  it :  down  went  the  rough 
great  coat  in  another  field.  He  then  stuck  to  h.is  hounds 
in  a  long  hunting  run  of  an  hour  and  a  half  over  a  very 
strongly-fenced  country,  and  had  gotten  his  fox  dead  beat 
before  him,  when  he  was  halloo'd  away  by  one  of  his  own 
men  to  a  fresh  fox  under  the  Newton  hills. 

Now  what  was  to  be  done  ?  The  excitement  that  had 
carried  him  thus  far  was  gone,  and  it  was  all  but  who-whoop. 
With  every  appearance  of  exhaustion,  and  a  face  as  pale 
as  if  he  were  dead,  he  sat  himself  down  on  a  bank,  and 
faintly  exclaimed,  '  How  am  I  to  get  home  Heaven  only 
knows  !' — I  am  sorry  to  say,  that  this  gallant  sportsman 
had  nearly  as  bad  a  fall  as  this  last  season  in  Shrophshire  ; 
and  I  am  still  more  sorry  to  add  that  he  feels  the  effects  of 
each  of  them  to  this  day. 

When  speaking  of  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  as  a  hunts* 
man — now 'of  some  years  standing — I  shall  again  confine 
myself  to  the  echo  of  the  public  voice,  as  comparisons  are 
odious.  He  is  universally  allowed  to  be  quite  at  the  top  of 
his  profession,  and  '  an  artist'  of  more  than  common  fame. 
One  advantage  has  always  attended  him :  he  has  ridden 
the  best  of  horses,  which,  with  his  method  of  piloting 
them,  has  enabled  him  never  to  be  long  without  an  eye 
upon  his  hounds.  Were  I  to  be  asked  whether  any 
amendment  could  be  made  in  him,  I  should  say,  that  he  is 
a  little  too  quiet  when  drawing,  and  he  must  sometimes 


SHROPSHIRE.  25 

draw  over  his  game.  This,  however,  is  but  a  feather  in 
the  scale,  when  set  against  his  fine  judgment,  quick  eye, 
and  his  promptness  in  assisting  his  hounds  in  difficulties 
and  in  chase. 

Sir  Bellingham  Graham's  judgment  in  horse-flesh  is 
supreme.  I  h#ve  heard  several  Melton  men  say,  that, 
though  the  stables  at  Quorn  have  often  been  filled  with 
good  horses,  they  never  contained  so  many  good  great 
horses  as  in  Sir  Bellingham's  time.  His  present  stud  is  a 
very  superb  one.  Out  of  the  twenty-six  hunters  for  him- 
self and  his  men,  there  is  only  one — and  Jack,  the  second 
whipper-in,  says  of  her  that,  '  though  she  is  but  a  little  one, 
she  is  a  sweet  one' — that  is  not  well  up  to  13  and  14  stone, 
and  he  has  10  p»ime  ones  for  his  own  riding.  Besides 
these,  he  sold  two  whilst  I  was  with  him,  one  to  Lord 
Howe  for  200,  and  the  other,  a  whipper-in's  horse,  to  Mr. 
Mytton,  for  250  guineas,  who  told  me  he  would  not  take 
700  guineas  for  him  from  any  man. 

Before  I  quit  Sir  Bellingham's  stable,  I  must  mention 
one  circumstance.  In  the  London  season  last  year,  a 
country  looking  fellow  called  on  the  Baronet,  and  asked 
him  whether  he  would  sell  two  of  his  horses.  He  said  he 
would;  that  they  were  down  at  Norton  Conyers  (his  seat 
in  Yorkshire,)  and  the  price  one  thousand  guineas.  The 
countryman  purchased  them,  and  they  have  never  been 
heard  of  since.  Some  time  afterwards  the  countryman 
came  again,  and  asked  the  price  of  Bee's  wax.  ,  '  Five 
hundred  guineas,'  said  Sir  Bellingham.  '  As  1  have  been 
a  good  customer/  said  the  countryman,  '  I  hope  you 
will  take  pounds.'  The  Baronet's  answer  was  laconic — 
'  I'll  see  you  d — d  first.' 

I  must  here  notice  John  Pulfrey,  the  Baronet's  groom, 
who  has  been  fourteen  years  in  his  service.  The  way  in 
which  his  horses  have  lived  under  sixteen  stone  will  save 
me  the  trouble  of  saying  anything  more  than  that  Sir  Bel- 
lingham is  going  to  put  him  into  one  of  the  best  farms  on 
his  estate. 

Having  mentioned  Pulfrey,  it  is  but  right  1  should 
mention  two  other  most  essential  characters  in  this  estab- 
lishment— viz.  the  two  whippers-in,  Will  Staples  and  Jack 
Wriggilesworth.  Will  is  the  son  of  Old  Tom  Staples,  late 

VOL.  II.  3 


26  Million's  HI:\TI.\G  TOUR. 

huntsman  to  Lord  Middleton,  and  once  kennel-liantsman 
to  Sir  Bellingham.  He  has  lived  with  his  present  master 
t-ver  since  he  was  breeched,  beginning  by  riding;  his 
second  horse.  I  have  said  enough  of  him ;  and  nothing 
that  I  or  any  other  man  can  say  can  make  him  much  bet- 
ter than  he  is.  Jack  is  quite  above  mediocrity.  Indeed,1 
I  call  him  a  very  useful  good  whipper-in — still  improving, 
and  a  very  good  horseman.  He  formerly  lived  with  Sir 
Mark  Sykes,  but  has  been  in  his  present  place  five  years. 

Although  Sir  Bellingham  is  so  well  manned  in  his  ken- 
nel, he  does  not  trust  the  summer-work  (so  essential)  ot 
tiie  hounds  to  any  one  but  himself;  so  that,  as  so&n  as  the 
London  season  is  over,  and  he  has  taken  a  cruise  or  two  in 
his  friend  Mr.  Maxse's  yacht,  he  gets  Ib  business  again. 
He  himself  does  not  feed  his  hounds;  giving  as  a  reason, 
that,  as  his  kennel  is  two  miles  and  a  half  from  his  house, 
lie  could  not  always  do  so,  and  to  have  their  condition 
rizht  they  ought  always  to  be  fed  by  one  man.  His  system 
is  to  feed  light  ;  but  his  meat  is  as  strong  as  it  can  be 
made. 

We  have  not  very  many  instances  of  men  really  devo- 
ted to  fox-hunting  continuing  long  on  the  turf,  though  they 
may  mix  the  pursuits  a  little  in  early  life.  This  was  tin- 
case  with  Sir  Bellingham  Graham.  He  had  a  few  race- 
horses for  three  or  four  years,  and  made  a  very  good  finish, 
by  winning  the  St  Leger  with  Duchess,  12  to  1  against 
her  ;  Ueating  Dr.  Syntax  for  the  cup  at  Richmond  ;  and 
selling  her  for  two  thousand  guineas. 

The  axiom  in  breeding,  that  '  like  begets  like,'  is,  as  1 
have  before  said,  faithfully  displayed  in  the  human  as  well 
as  in  the  brute  race.  Though  the  Poet  says 

«  '  Who,  from  the  morning's  brightest  ray,     . 

Can  promise  what  will  be  the  day  ?' 

yet  I  venture  to  predict,  that  Sir  Bellingham  Grahnm'* 
two  sons  will  one  day  or  other  shine  in  the  field.  The 
eldest  will  doubtless  make  a  sportsman  :  but  the  second — 
siirnamed  Godfrey,  after  his  godfather,  Sir  Godfrey  Web- 
ster, a  great  ally  of  Sir  Bellingham  in  early  days — is 
already  nothing  less  than  an  artist,  though  only  eleven 
vears  uf  aze.  When  at  home  for  the  holidays,  I  never 


SHROPSKinE.  27 

«a\v  such  •  a  ramming,  jamming,  cramming  cove'  of  his 
tender  years  before.  No  Shropshire  fence  will  turn  him 
now ;  and,  in  the  joy  of  his  heart,  he  rode  up  to  his  father 
one  day,  and  exclaimed,  'Papa!  I  have  been  before  NIM- 
KOD  the  whole  run.' 

Joking  apart,  Godfrey  Graham  is  a  wonderful  performer  ; 
and  I  think  I  may  venture  to  call  him  '  a  promising  young 
one,'  It  happened  one  day,  that  Mr.  Henry  Montagu  (a 
noted  bruiser)  and  myself  got  into  a  gentleman's  pleasure 
grounds,  the  only  way  out  of  which  was  to  drop  down  a 
sunk  fence  into  a  rocky  hollww  road.  We  both  dismount- 
ed ;  and  as  I  turned  round  to  pull  my  mare  down,  I  per- 
ceived her  shoes  were,  muck  higher  than  my  head.  Our 
friend  Godfrey  was  close  at  our  brush  ;  and,  strange  to  say  ! 
he  rode  down  tlrts  place,  and  thought  it  nothing.  The 
only  way  to  account  for  it  is,  that  the  old  mare  he  was  on 
lias  been  fourteen  years  in  his  father's  stable,  and  I  suppose 
she  let  herself  down  the  wall  like  a  cat  out  oT  a  cupboard. 
It  was  said  of  the  famous  Duke  of  Cumberland  that  out 
of  his  boots  he  was  an  excellent  fellow,  but  in  them  he  was 
a  devil.  As  the  Duke  was  a  soldier,  this  of  course  alluded 
to  him  when  on  and  off  duty.  Sir  Bellingham  forms 
something  like  a  parallel  here.  Up  to  the  moment  of  his 
getting  upon  his  hunter,  and  taking  hold  of  his  hounds,  he 
is  one  of  the  best-humored  men  in  England  ;  but  further 
this  deponent  sayeth  not.  I  will  not  pronounce  of  him,  what 
a  friend  of  mine  used  to  say  of  a  certain  Noble  L*rd  in  that 
situation — namely,  that  he  looks  as  if  he  would  bite  you  ; 
1ml  there  are  times  when  it  is  well  not  to  go  too  near  him. 
This  doubtless  arises  from  two  causes :  first,  his"  anxiety 
to  shew  sport ;  and  secondly,  a  consciousness  of  a  superi- 
ority of  judgment,  which  cannot  well  brook  being  interfer- 
ed with.  Sir  Bellingham  also  is  an  exception  to  one  general 
rule  :  he  is  less  polite  to  his  friends  in  the  society  of  the  ladies 
(the  bitch-pack,)  than  he  is  in  that  of  the  gentlemen  (the  dotf- 
pack ;)  but  this  must  be  attributed  to  the  same  cause. 
Spots  there  are  on  the  sun,  and  nothing  which  onr  eyes 
are  permitted  to  behold  is  perfect ;  but  take  Sir  Belling- 
ham  Graham  as  an  English  gentleman — as  a  friend  and  a 
companion — in  the  words  of  a  Member  of  the  Melton  Old 
Club,  as  'a  downright/  straightforward,  honest,  good  fel- 


28  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

low' — and  though  last,  not  least,  as  a  master  of  fox-hounds 
and  a  sportsman — we  may  say  of  him,  as  has  been  said  of 
many,  that  we  shall  not  often  '  look  upon  his  like  again.' 

On  the  12th  of  January  Sir  Bellingham  and  myself 
returned  to  Kingsland  (Sir  B.'s  house,)  and  the  next  day  I 
arrived  at  home,  where  I  remained  till  '  symptons  of  a 
thaw  and  visions  of  coming  sport  began  to  dance  before 
my  eyes.'  I  then  took  my  departure  for  London  on  my 
return  to  Shrophshire,  arriving  at  Sir  Bellingham's  on  the 
evening  of  the  25th.  The  Monday's  fixture  was  Nescliffe, 
half  way  between  Shrewsbury  and  Oswestry  on  the  great 
Irish  road,  whither  my  host  conveyed  me  in  his  drag. 

I  must  just  turn  out  of  the  road  for  one  minute  here. 
In  most  other  countries,  if  a  man  wishes  to  anticipate  his 
friend's  performance  for  the  day,  the  question  he  would  ask 
would  be — -what  horse  do  you  ride  ?  Not  so,  however,  in 
Shropshire.  There  are  two  or  three  of  my  friends  in  that 
sporting  and  tnost  hospitable  county,  to  whom  the  most 
likely  question  whereby  to  elicit  the  truth  would  be — not, 
what  horse  do  you  ride  to-day? — but,  what  have  you  had 
to  drink  1  The  fact  is,  the  fences  come  very  quick  in 
Shrophshire,  and  a  little  jumping-powder  is  often  found 
useful ;  so,  going  into  the  public-house  at  Nescliffe,  by  way 
of  a  beginning,  I  put  the  following  question  to  the  land- 
lord :  '  How  much  brandy  has  Mr.  Mytton  had  this  morn- 
ing ?' — '  None,  Sir,'  was  the  reply.  '  I  cannot  swallow 
that,'  said*  I.  '  It  is  true  I  assure  you,'  said  Boniface. 
'  What  else  has  he  had  then  ?'  I  resumed.  '  Some  egged 
ale,  Sir.' — '  Ah  ! '  said  I,  '  some  of  your  Shropshire  Squires, 
like  many  others,  want  a  little  egging  on  now  and  then.' 

The  following  anecdote  will  show  what  a  poor  chance 
some  men  have  when  quite  sober  against  others  a  little 
primed.  I  remember  Lord  Forester,  being  on  a  visit  at 
Wynnstay  some  years  back,  when  a  friend  of  his  was  very 
much  badgered  by  a  certain  Welch  squire — now  no  more 
— to  run  him  a  race  over  the  country  for  one  hundred 
guineas  a  side.  Observing  him  always  to  decline  the  chal- 
lenge, his  Lordship  thus  addressed  his  fr^nd  : — '  Why, 
B ,1  have  seen  you  ride  very  decently  across  Lei- 
cestershire ;  why  do'nt  you  tackle  this  Welch  Squire  1 
The  next  time  he  offers  it,  take  the  bet,  and  I  will  stand 


SHROPSHIRE.  29 

half  of  it.'  B  .  .  .  .  ,  who  was  a  cautious  one  thus  replied  : 
— '  Why  if  I  could  be  sure  he  would  come  out  sober,  1 
would  take  his  bet  to-morrow  ;  but  d — n  the  fellow,  he 
will  come  out  half  drunk,  and  beat  me.' 

One  other  anecdote  passed  across  my  mind  here,  when 
speaking  of  asking  a  man  the  question  of  '  what  horse  do 
you  ride?'  The  facetious  Mr.  Edward  Goulburn — now 
exercising  his  talent  at  the  Bar — formerly  hunted  in  War- 
wickshire ;  and  seeing  a  Worcestershire  Squire  laughing 
violently,  he  went  up  to  him  and  said,  'Quid  rides?' 
('  what  do  you  laugh  at?')  My  friend,  not  much  of  a  lin- 
guist, replied,  '  My  Magog  Horse.'  This  liberty  with  the 
Latin  language  was,  I  think  never  excelled  but  once.  An 
Oxonian  was  being  examined  a  few  years  since  for  his 
degree,  when  the  following  passage  presented  itself: — 
Jjoquebantur  Apostuli  miracula  Dei — Afffflice,  '  the  Apos- 
tles set  forth  the  miracles  of  God.'  The  young  one, 
however,  rendered  it  thus  :  ApostoK,  'Oh  ye  Apostles' — 
loqitebantur,  '  look  about  you1 — miracula,  '  here's  a  mira- 
cle'— Dei,  '  by  God.'  This  however,  was  a  lucky  hit ;  for 
the  examining  master  shut  the  book,  and  exclaimed — '  By 
G — d  you  are  a  miracle,  and  you  shall  have  your  degree.' 

We  had  a  beautiful  find  on  NesclifFe  Hill,  and  a  very 
sharp  twenty-five  minutes  with  the  bitch-pack — to  ground. 
It  was  near,  however,  being  a  day  of  sorrow.  That  good 
sportsman  and  true  friend  to  fox-huntigg,  Mr  Lloyd  of  As- 
ton, got  a  most  severe  fall,  and  very  narrowly  escaped 
being  killed.  To  use  his  own  words,  he  was  going  '  at  the 
rate  of  forty  miles  an  hour  to  the  tune  of  the  Ladies,'  when, 
in  some  very  deep  ground,  his  mare  fell  with  him,  and  all 
but  broke  his  neck.  When  I  saw  him  picked  up,  his 
face  was  as  black  as  his  hat,  and  from  the  discoloration 
that  afterwards  appeared  on  the  vertebrae  of  the  neck,  it 
was  evident  that  it  was  '  a  near  go.' 

Tuesday,  went  to  meet  Sir  Richard  Puleston's  hounds  at 
Petton,  about  half  way  between  Shrewsbury  and  Ellesmere, 
and  one  of  his  best  fixtures  ;  but  the  frost  had  made  its 
appearance  again,  and  we  could  not  throw  off,  which  dis- 
appointed me. much,  as  I  was  anxious  to  see  my  old  friend's 
pack  once  again  in  the  field. 

On  Wednesday    Sir   Bellingham  sent  the  dog  pack  to 

VOL.  n.  3* 


30  MMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Hardwicke,  Lord  Hill's  seat,  to  shew  them  to  Sir  Richard 
Puleston,  and  we  followed  them  in  the  drag — frost  harder 
and  harder,  and  neither  of  us  very  lively  on  the  road. 

Lord  Hill  has  not  long  completed  Hardwicke ;  but  he 
has  made  an  excellent  house  of  it,  and  turned  his  sword 
into  a  ploughshare.  In  the  dinning  room  is  an  excellent 
likeness  of  the  Great  Captain  of  the  age,  and  al?o  a  full 
length  portrait  of  Lord  Hill  by  Sir  William  Beechey. 
The  latter  is  not  wanting  in  resemblance,  but  there  is  an 
air  of  fierceness  in  the  countenance  that  does  not  belong  to 
the  original.  If  the  words  of  the  Poet  can  be  applied  to 
any  one,  to  Lord  Hill  are  they  certainly  due : — 
'  In  war,  he's  savage  as  the  chafed  tiger  : 
In  peace,  as  gentle  as  th'  unweaned  lamb  ! '" 

The  frost  continuing,  Sir  Bellingham  and  myself  pro- 
ceeded on  the  following  Monday  to  Acton  Reynald,  the 
seat  of  Mr.  Andrew  Corbet,  only  son  of  my  old  friend  Sir 
Andrew.  There  was  a  large  party  in  the  house  for  a  bat- 
tue in  the  woods  next  day,  but  I  preferred  going  with  the 
Cheshire  hounds,  which  met  at  Shavington,  the  seat  of 
that  hearty  old  buck — that  real  specimen  of  an  Irish  noble- 
man— my  Lord  Killmorey,  who  turned  out  a  small  regiment 
of  sportsmen  from  under  his  most  hospitable  roof. 

This  was  my  first  appearance  with  the  Cheshire  hounds. 
We  found  immediately,  and  lost  a  bad  fox  at  the  end  of  an 
hour  and  twenty  minutes — partly  owing  to  there  being  two 
scents  at  first,  and  the  hounds  not  getting  well  together. 
Having  only  one  horse  out,  and  having  to  return  to  Acton 
Reynald  to  dinner — a  distance  of  nearly  twenty  miles — 
I  did  not  wait  for  the  second  fox,  neither  did  more  than  a 
dozen  out  of  a  very  large  field.  He  shewed  them,  howev- 
er, a  most  beautiful  forty-five  minutes,  running  in  to  him  in 
the  open,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  those  who  saw  the 
thing.  An  unfortunate  circumstance,  however,  occurred. 
In  crossing  a  large  sheet  of  water,  where  the  ice  was  only 
partly  thawed,  two  couples  of  hounds  got  under  it  and 
were  drowned  ;  and  I  was  sorry  to  hear  Sir  Harry  Main- 
waring  say  they  were  all, very  useful  ones  to  the  pack. 

February  the  1st,  Sir  Bellingham's  hounds  met  at  Acton 
Reynald.  We  had  forty  minutes,  and  ran  to  ground.  We 
had  some  beautiful  hunting  over  a  moor,  and  the  scent  was 


SHROPSHIRE.  31 

capital  in  covert.  It  was  also  a  particularly  good  day  lor 
hearing  hounds  ;  and  the  music  of  the  dog-pack  in  Shaw- 
bury  Wood,  when  close  to  the  fox,  was  quite  enchanting. 
I  said  to  myself — 

•Never  did  I  hear 

Such  gallant  chiding  ;  for,  besides  the  groves, 
The  skies,  the  fountains,  every  region  near 
Seem  all  pne  mutual  cry  ;  I  never  heard 
So  musical  a  discord,  such  sweet  thunder.' 

On  Friday  the  3d  met  the  Shrophshire  fox-hounds  at 
Boreaton,  the  seat  of  Mr.  Huflt.  Plenty  of  pheasants,  but 
no  fox.  Drew  on  to  Leighton  Shelf,  and  found  at  least  a 
leash.  This  is  a  most  picturesque  covert — overhanging 
the  banks  of  the  severn,  the  property  of  Mr.  Lloyd  of 
Dongey,  and  extremely  ornamental  to  his  new  house,  but 
the  most  infernal  place  for  hounds  I  ever  came  across.  A 
bad  fox  may  beat  the  best  pack  in  England  in  an  hour  ; 
and  it  went  to  my  heart  to  see  Sir  Bellingham  gallopping 
that  fine  horse  Treacle  up  and  down  its  deep  rides,  with- 
out apparently,  the  smallest  chance  of  sport. 

After  hunting  on  this  day,  Sir  Bellingham  and  myself 
dined  at  Acton  Burnell,  which  was  the  fixture  for  the  next 
morning.  This  is  the  fine  seat  of  my  very  old  friend  Sir 
Edward  Smythe,  who  hunted  Shrophshire  six  seasons. 
Sir  Edward  is'  the  representative  of  a  very  ancient  Roman 
Catholic  family,  and,  whether  on  a  Friday  or  a  Monday, 
whether  in  Lent  or  out  of  Lent,  a  more  jovial  fellow  is  not 
to  be  found  in  his  Majesty's  dominions.  Though  this  wor- 
thy Baronet  has  plenty  of  game,  he  is  a  strict  preserver  of 
foxes,  and  generally  finds  a  good  one. 

The  day  I  am  speaking  of  did  not  prove  an  exception. 
We  found  in  the  park  ;  and,  after  upwards  of  two  hours 
through  a  deep  and  distressing  country,  lost  him  by  a  hal- 
loo from  a  keeper  who  thought  he  had  marked  him  to 
ground.  At  the  second  check,  I  heard  Sir  Bellingham 
say  we  had  been  running  him  an  hour  and  ten  minutes — 
quite  enough  for  the  country  we  went  over. 

I  witnessed  in  this  run  what  I  never  witnessed  before, 
namely,  three  gentlemen  riding  at  gates,  and — without 
their  horses  falling — tumbling  over  their  heads.  The  trio 
was  composed  of  Mr.  Byrne,  a  friend  of  Sir  Edward 


3U  MMUOD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Smythe's,  but  a  native  of  the  Sister  Kingdom  :  Mr.  Rock, 
a  very  thrusting  young  one  ;  and  Mr.  Mytton  !  Mr.  Byrne, 
1  \vas  told,  was  determined  never  to  be  so  served  again,  as 
he  went  to  a  brook,  and  wetted  the  knees  of  his  breeches, 
to  enable  him  to  stick  to  his  saddle.  I  never  heard  of  this 
experiment  before  ;  but,  as  far  as  I  am  a  judge,  there  is 
only  one  other  step  to  be  taken  with  the  breeches  ! 

I  never  hear  of  a  man  falling  from  his*  horse  without 
thinking  of  Sir  Bellingham  Graham's  definition  of  a  loose 
seat.  'He  calls  it  '  a  wash-ball  seat' — the  analogy  (and  a 
most  happy  one  it  is)  being  taken  from  a  wash-ball  slipping 
about  in  a  basin.  I  also  admire  his  idea  of  a  gull — a  man 
who  believes  every  thing  he  hears,  and  who  consequently, 
is  often  imposed  upon.  When  speaking  of  such  a  one,  a 
few  days  back,  he  observed,  '  Oh,  that  fellow  will  swallow 
anv  thing;  he  do'nt  require  a  balling  iron.1 

Mon  lay  the  6th,  met  at  Arcall  Mill  and  had  a  beautiful 
find  in  a  gorse-covert — rather  a  rare  thing  in  Shrophshire. 
The  day  was  extremely  stormy,  and  we  could  do  nothing 
with  our  first  fox.  A  curious  circumstance  occurred  with 
the  second.  The  pack  slipped  away  with  him,  down  wind, 
out  of  a  large  covert,  unseen  or  unheard  by  any  one  of  a 
numerous  field,  excepting  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  and  Mr.  Owen 
(heir-apparent  to  Woodhouse,)  who  had  all  the  fun  to 
themselves,  and  ran  in  to  him  in  twenty-five  minutes.  So 
much  for  woodland  hunting  in  a  very  tempestuous  day ! 
It  was  curious  to  see  the  field  scattered  in  all  directions, 
but  none  of  them  able  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  pack. 

The  fixture  for  the  8th  was  the  Twemlows — the  crack 
covert  in  the  Shropshire  Hunt.  Twice  was  it  fixed  upon 
during  my  visit  to  Sir  Bellingham,  and  as  often  were  we 
booked  under  the  Mahogany  of  that  good  sportsman,  Mr. 
John  Crewe,  for  the  purpose  of  being  near  it,  as  also  of 
seeing  Mr.  Wickstead's  hounds,  but  were  each  time  stop- 
ped by  the  frost.  On  the  7th,  however,  we  took  up  our 
abode  at  Frees  Hall,  the  seat  of  Sir  Robert  Hill,  which  is 
within  two  miles  of  the  covert.  Anticipation  is  seldom 
confirmed,  and  we  had  a  very  bad  day's  sport. 

Independently  of  the  pleasant  party  we  met  at  Sir  Robert 
Hill's,  I  experienced  a  great  treat  in  meeting  with  an  old 
schoolfellow,  of  whom  I  had  for  some  time  lost  sight,  but 


SHROPSHIRE.  33 

who  has  been  more  than  twenty  years  Vicar  of  the  parish  of 
Frees.  His  Reverence  had  been  doing  the  honors  of  Sir 
Rowland  Hill's  tithe-day,  but  came  to  us  in  the  evening, 
and  amused  us  much. 

The  Vicar  of  Frees  is  what  1  call  a  good  old-fashioned 
clergyman.  He  is — as  I  hope  all  Rugby  men  are — quite 
above  the  vulgar  association  of  groans  and  tears  with  piety 
and  devotion,  and  is  not  yet  stricken  with  the  new  light. 
'  Gravity,'  says  Lord  Shaftesbury,  '  is  the  essence  of  impos- 
ture ;'  and  who  would  envy  the  character  Caesar  gives  of 
Cassius  ? 

'  He  loves  no  play, 

As  thou  dost,  Anthony  :  he  hears  no  music  ; 

Seldom  he  smiles,  and  smiles  in  such  a  sort, 

As  if  he  mock'd  himself,  and  scorn'd  his  spirit 

That  could  be  mov'd  at  anything. 

The  Vicar  of  Frees  is  no  humbug.  He  sings  a  hunting 
song  to  his  parishoners,  tells  them  a  good  story  at  his  tithe 
feast,  and  gives  them  the  best  his  house  affords.  His  invi- 
tation to  Sir  Bellingham  and  myself  for  the  next  time  the 
hounds  came  to  the  Twemlows  was  rather  unique.  '  My 
claret,'  said  he,  '  is  of  the  finest  vintage  ;  and  if  you  will 
drink  enough  of  it,  it  will  make  your  eyes  look  like  boiled 
gooseberries.' 

The  Vicar  of  Frees  has  a  great  mind  to  be  a  sportsman. 
Like  the  Abbot  of  old, 

'  He  gives  not  of  the  text  a  pullet  hen, 
That  saith  that  hunters  be  not  holy  men,' 

so  he  accompanied  us  the  next  morning  to  the  covert's 
side  ;  and  could  we  have  persuaded  him  to  have  left  his 
spencer  behind  him,  his  appearance  would  have  been  far 
from  amiss. 

My  greatest  amusement  was  yet  to  come.  The  next 
morning  before  we  went  a  hunting,  I  accompanied  the 
Vicar  to  see  his  stud,  and  I  will  exhibit  them  to  the  reader 
as  they  were  exhibited  to  me  : — '  Here,'  said  the  Vicar,  '  is 
the  mare  I  am  going  to  ride.  There  is  the  pony  that  beat 
all  Sir  Bellingham  Graham's  hunt — but  mind  ye,  not  with 
me  upon  him.  There  is  the  finest  pair  coach  horses  in  all 
England — only  one  has  lost  an  eye,  and  the  other  is  broken- 
winded  ;  and  there  is  the  colt  that  is  to  ^win  the  King's 


34  MMROD'S  HC.VTING  TOUR. 

hundred.'  Now  the  four-year-old  cold,  bred  by  himself, 
•which  was  to  win  the  King's  Hundred,  proved  to  be  a 
three-year  old  filly ;  and  if  ever  she  wins  a  Maiden  Plate, 
I  will  engage  to  eat  her,  plate  and  all ! 

We  were  to  have  met  the  Vicar  again  at  Sir  Robert 
Hill's  on  Wednesday,  but  were  obliged  to  return  to  Kings- 
land  for  Thursday's  hunting  at  Condover.  We  had  a 
beautiful  thing  on  this  day  of  forty-five  minutes — with  the 
ladies — till  we  came  to  the  Severn,  when  all  our  fun  was 
over.  The  hounds  crossed,  and  killed  their  fox  in  gallant 
style.  This  was  the  best  part  of  Shropshire  I  ever  rode 
over  :  the  fields  were  of  fair  size,  the  ground  sound,  and  . 
the  fences  such  as  required  a  hunter  to  get  well  over. 

I  had  the  pleasure  on  this  day  of  seeing  Mr.  Henry 
Lvster's  performance  on  his  famous  mare  The  Doe.  The 
Doe  is  very  small,  but  very  strong,  and  was  purchased  from 
Mr.  Mytton  for  eighty-five  guineas — having  carried  his 
whipper-in.  For  the  weight  she  can  carry,  I  think  she  is 
not  to  be  beaten,  and  Mr.  Lyster  was  certainly  first  man 
on  this  day.  Mr.  Mytton  and  Mr.  Rock  went  gallantly  ; 
but  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  surprised  us  all.  He  was  on  a 
horse  always  considered  slow  ;  but  so  determined  was  his 
rider  to  be  with  them,  that,  though  he  got  a  bad  start, 
he  soon  got  among  the  first  flight.  I  could  judge  of  his 
pace,  being  myself  on  a  fast  one  ;  for  though  I  got  out  of 
the  covert  not  a  hundred  yards  behind  him,  I  never  could 
catch  him  till  I  found  him  in  a  ditch  .  at  the  end  of  the 
burst. 

On  the  10th,  business  called  me  home,  a*d  afterwards 
to  the  'little  city.'  On  Tuesday  the  2lst  I  started  again 
for  Shrewsbury,  arrived  at  Mr.  Mytton's  by  breakfast  on 
the  2d,  and  found  my  horses  all  well.  My  groom  told  me 
it  were'well  I  was  arrived,  as  he  thought  '  the  Squire  would 
have  been  a  top  of  some  of  'em  before  another  day  was 
over.'  To  say  the  truth  I  fully  expected  it. 

The  fixture  for  the  day  was  Mr.  Mytton's  house,  whither 
Sir  Bellingham  had  arrived  the  day  before  to  be  ready  for 
business.  We  had  a  beautiful  find  in  a  larger  piece  of 
gorse,  and  a  good  fox  went  away :  but  the  day  precluded  a 
chance  of  sport,  as  it  was  extremely  stormy  without  an 
atom  of  scent.  We  did  not  find  a^ain. 


SHROPSHIRE.  35 

Tiie  next  day  the  Shropshire  hounds  met  at  Pitchford 
Park,  seven  miles  on  the  other  side  of  Shrewsbury,  but,  as 
I  had  no  horses  in  that  part  of  the  country,  I  did  not  meet 
them.  Mr.  Mytton  went,  and  saw  a  fine  run  of  one  hour 
and  twenty  minutes. 

Exclusive  of  this,  I  missed  another  fine  run  with  the 
Shropshire  hounds,  which  by  all  accounts  was  a  tickler  ; 
but  1  much  admired  the  modest,  though  sportsmanlike,  de- 
scription given  of  it  by  the  master  of  the  pack,  in  a  letter 
to  myself: — 'lam  sorry,'  said  the  Baronet,  '  you  were 
obliged  to  go  yesterday,  as  I  trust  we  are  getting  into  a  vein 
of  sport.  The  first  half  hour  to-day  a  most  awful  pace, 
from  Babbins  wood,  over  a  very  fair  but  deep  country: 
and  I  shall  curtail  what  I  could  make  into  a  long  rigmarole 
account,  by  stating,  that  at  the  end  of  one  hour  and  forty 
minutes  I  had  in  my  hand  the  finest  bit  of  (what  some 
people  call)  vermin  I  ever  touched  in  my  life.  We  killed 
him  between  Chirk  Castle  and  Llangollen  ;  and  the  con- 
noisseurs were  good  enough  to  say  the  gentlemen  (the  dog 
pack)  did  their  business  meritoriously.'  This  sporting 
Baronet's  modesty  did  not  end  here.  He  said  he  was  nev- 
er so  ridden  away  from  in  his  life  as  he  was  (as  indeed 
were  all  the  field)  on  this  day  by  Mr.  Mytton,  on  his  Hit  or 
miss  mare ;  and  I  understand  that  Will  Staples  could 
scarcely  go  the  pace  with  her. 

On  the  24th  met  Sir  Richard  Puleston's  hounds  at  Pen- 
ley  Green,  and  drew  what  are  called  '  the  Duke's  Woods' 
— the  property  of  the  late  Duke  of  Bridgewater.  The 
late  Lord  Bridgewater  behaved  in  a  very  liberal  manner  to 
Sir  Richard,  by  having1  excellent  rides  made  through  these 
extensive  coverts,  which  make  them  very  useful  to  hounds  : 
but  as  far  as  sport  or  pleasure  is  concerned,  they  are  but 
ill  calculated  to  affor?!  much  of  either. 

It  is  necessary  I  should  say  something  more  of  Sir  Bel- 
linghain  Graham's  kennel,  which  generally  contains  from 
fifty  to  sixty  couples  of  hunting  hounds.  His  dog-pack 
comes  under  the  denomination  of  a  grand  pack  of  hounds  : 
in  stature  quite  equal  to  Mr.  Ward's  though  a  lighter  sort 
of  hound.  They  are  very  close  hunters,  extremely  patient 
with  a  baffling  scent,  and  their  pace  something  approach- 
ing to  awful.  They  are  larger,  however,  by  the  admission 


36  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

of  their  owner,  than  is  desirable  in  so  close  a  country  as 
Shropshire.  The  bitch-pack — the  Ladies — are  Sir  Belling- 
ham's  favorites,  and  in  my  humble  opinion  perfect.  The 
dash  of  the  fox-hound  is  conspicuous  here ;  and  to  see 
these  bitches  pushing  to  their  game  is  to  me  one  of  the 
finest  sights  this  world  can  afford.  Their  form  is  particu- 
larly elegant ;  and  though  they  do'nt  say  so  much  about  it 
as  the  dog-pack,  they  are  not  deficient  in  tongue.  So  fond 
is  Sir  Bellingham  (always  the  case  with  fox-hunters)  of 
1  the  Ladies,'  that  I  heard  him  say,  if  he  hunted  only  three 
days  a  week,  he  would  never  take  a  dog  hound  into  the 
field.  With  two  such  whippers-in  behind  them  as  Will 
Staples  and  Jack  Wrigglesworth,  and  mounted  as  they  are, 
Sir  Bellingham  Graham's  hounds  cannot  fail  of  being  han- 
dy ;  and  their  condition  is  powerful  and  even. 

In  the  dog-pack  Vulcan  is  the  crowning  ornament.  In- 
deed I  think  it  is  not  in  nature  to  form  a  more  perfect 
animal  of  his  species,  and  he  does  not  belie  his  looks. 
He  is  by  Sir  Bellrngham's  Vanquisher  (by  Mr.  Osbaldes- 
ton's  Vanquisher)  out  of  his  Joyful.  The  following  also 
are  very  clever  :  Twister,  by  his  Tapster  out  of  his  Abigail ; 
Jericho,  by  his  Aimwell  out  of  his  Jubilee ;  Vaulter,  by 
his  Render  out  of  his  Vanity — the  latter,  the  right  style 
of  hound  for  Shropshire. 

Amongst  the  bitches  Brimstone  stands  first :  she  is  by 
Marmion  out  of  his  Jezebel.  Patience,  by  his  Abelard  out 
of  Purity — full  of  the  old  Pytchley  blood;  Famous  (well 
named,)  by  Lord  Lonsdale's  Reveller  out  of  Sir  B.'s  Fac- 
tious; Juliet.  Jingle,  Jollity,  and  Jealousy,  by  Mr.  Os- 
baldeston's  Piper  out  of  Lord  Lonsdale's  Joyful  ;  and  Pu- 
rity and  Parasol,  both  from  Mr.  Ward,  are  also  very  clever. 

Now  for  a  word  or  two  about  the  country.  Were  it  not 
for  a  few  '  ifs,'  Shropshire  would  rarTk  rather  high  among 
the  provincials.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  able  to  stand  four 
days  a  week,  and  the  coverts  are  very  well  stocked  with 
foxes.  It  also,  on  the  whole,  holds  a  fair  scent,  but  a  very 
great  part  of  it  is  not  only  wet,  but  boggy.  It  is  also  ex- 
tremely deficient  in  gorse  coverts,  and  it  is — a  great 
drawback  to  sport,  and  very  annoying  to  a  huntsman  and 
his  hounds — the  most  hollow  county  I  ever  hunted  in.  la 
the  course  of  this  season,  Sir  Bellingham  ran  thirteen  out 


SHROPSHIRE.  37 

of  fifteen  of  his  foxes  to  ground,  which  I  never  heard  of 
any  hounds  doing  before.  Such  earths  as  are  not  used  for 
breeding  should  be  dug  out,  and  iron  grates  should  be 
placed  on  the  mouths  of  drains  which  are  able  to  admit  a 
fox.  The  first  of  these  remedies,  however,  will  not  always 
succeed,  as  from  the  loose  nature  of  the  soil  in  many  parts, 
*  fresh  spouts  and  earths  would  be  made  in  each  succeed- 
ing year. 

As  a  country  to  ride  over,  as  far  as  leaping  is  concerned, 
Shropshire  is  an  easy  one — that  is  to  say,  the  part  compris- 
ing Shropshire  Hunt.  Although  the  iences  come  quick, 
yet  there  is  nothing  to  stop  a  hard-riding  man  on  a  good 
hunter,  and  timber  need  but  rarely  be  taken.  The  com- 
mon Shropshire  fence — say  nineteen  out  of  twenty — is  a 
small  live  or  dead  hedge,  not  bound  placed  on  a  small  bank, 
with  one  ditch,  and  that  not  generally  a  large  one.  These 
fences,  however,  stop  horses  in  their  pace,  for  they  must  be 
taken  quietly.  Were  a  man  to  attempt  to  clear  bank  and 
all  at  one  fly,  he  would  not  go  long;  but  he  is  generally 
safe  over  them  if  he  have  a  hand  on  his  horse,  and  will  allow 
him  to  '  foot  well '  before  he  springs.  In  some  countries 
the  common  Shropshire  fence  would  be  considered  little 
more  than  a  gap.  Strong  places,  however,  do  every  now 
and  then  occur,  and,  what  makes  small  fences  large  ones, 
the  horses  are  almost  always  going  in  deep  ground.  Horses 
indeed,  that  can  go  well  over  Shropshire,  can  go  well  over 
most  other  countries. 

There  is.  however,  one  part  of  riding  over  Shropshire 
which  requires  a  good  man  and  a  good  horse,  and  even 
these  will  not  always  do.  I  allude  to  the  black  boggy 
drains,  which  abound  in  the  low  meadows,  and  which  will 
not  admit  of  a  horse  approaching  their  banks  near  enough 
to  be  certain  of  clearing  them.  If  he  do  clear  them,  the 
exertion  is  a  severe  one,  and  an  over-reach  or  a  lost  ^hoe  is 
too  often  the  consequence. 

That  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  should  like  Shropshire  as 
a  hunting  country,  cannot  for  a  moment  be  imagined.  He 
lit  the  candle  at  the  wrong  end  for  this.  Had  he  begun 
with  Shropshire,  and  proceeded  to  Leicestershire,  the  case 
would  have  been  altered  ;  but  few  people  like  to  go  back 
in  the  world.  The  way,  however,  in  which  he  has  hunted 
VOL.  n.  4 


38  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

it — with  an  establishment  very  nearly  equal  to  Leicester- 
shire— entitles  him  to  the  greatest  credit ;  but  though  he 
does  not  like  the  country,  I  have  heard  him  many  times 
declare  that  he  likes  the  people,  and  here  is  the  spur  to  his 
exertions. 

When  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  asserts  that  he  '  likes  the 
people  '  in  Shropshire,  we  may  naturally  conclude  he  chiefly 
alludes  to  those  of  his  own  rank  in  life,  with  whom  he  ev- 
ery day  associates.  I  think,  however,  I  may  take  upon 
myself  to  say,  he  goes  one  step  further  than  this,  and  in- 
cludes in  his  panegyric  the  yeomen  and  farmers  who  reside 
within  the  limits  of  his  hunt ;  and  well  he  may.  I  have 
ridden  over  the  majority  of  our  English  counties,  but  nev- 
er did  I  meet  such  hospitable  and  jovial  fellows  as  the 
Shropshire  and  Staffordshire  farmers.*  With  them  '  What 
will  you  drink?  '  is  the  next  question  to  '  How  do  you  do? ' 
and  now  and  then,  '  What  will  you  drink  ? '  comes  first. 
Some  of  them,  however,  as  Sir  Bellingham  says,  are  '  zeal- 
ous dogs,'  particularly  after  a  certain  hour  of  the  day. 

The  Baronet  told  me  a  good  anecdote  of  one  of  those 
Shropshire  farmers.  He  was  about  as  big  as  any  two  mod- 
erately sized  men,  and  was  sitting  on  his  horse  in  a  covert, 
whilst  the  hounds  were  running  their  fox  very  hard  below 
him.  '  Now  they  are  physicking  on  him'  said  he  to  Sir 
Bellingham,  as  he  rode  by,  his  countennance  sparkling  with 
delight. 

On  the  25th  Mr.  Mytton  turned  out  a  brace  of  bagmen 
before  his  non-descript  pack.  I  have  before  said,  that  a 
mere  detailer  of  facts  is  only  fit  to  give  evidence  on  a  trial, 
and  therefore,  I  shall  dilate  as  I  go  on. 

On  the  evening  before,  as  we  were  sitting  over  our  wine, 
the  butler  announced  that  Mr.  Tinkler  the  stud  groom  was 
in  waiting.  '  Send  him  up>'  said  Mr.  Mytton,  and  Mr. 
Tinkler  appeared. 

Tinkler — '  What  horses  will  be  wanted  'to-morrow,  Sir  ? ' 

*  The  hospitality  of  Staffordshire  quite  equals  Shropshire 
1  remember  on  one  occasion,  when  Mr.  Mytton  hunted  that 
country,  that  a  regular  dinner  was  provided  for  the  field.  There 
was  white  soup,  pattites,  side  dishes,  &c.  &c.  I  also  well  re- 
member how  small  the  fences  appeared  when  we  were  running 
our  afternoon  fox. 


SHROPSHIRE.  39 

Mr.  Mytton— '  All.' 

Tinkler—'  No,  Sir,  not  all  surely  ! ' 

Mr.  Mytton — '  Every  one.' 

Tinkler — '  Not  the  little  grey  horse,  Sir  !  His  back  gets 
very  narrow.' 

Mr.  Mytton — '  So  much  the  better.     I  hate  a  fat  horse.' 

Tinkler — '  Not  the 'brown  horse  you  had  from  Sir  Bel- 
lingham  ;  his  legs  begin  to  get  very  round.' 

Mr.  Mytton — '  That  is  the  very  reason  why  I  will  ride 
him,  as  it  will  make  them  fine.' 

Tinkler — '  Not  the  Hit-or-Miss  mare ;  you  will  want  her 
for  the  Cheshire.' 

Mr.  Mytton — '  It  will  put  her  in  wind.' 

Remonstrance  was  in  vain.  Every  horse  was  saddled, 
and  the  Squire,  his  three  whippers,  with  Tom  Whitehouse 
(his  jockey),  were  all  mounted  on  the  best  horses  in  the 
stud. 

I  cannot  describe  our  arrival  at  the  covert ;  I  cannot 
speak  of  the  hound  that  '  spoke  to  him  in  the  gorse ; '  I 
cannot  even  attempt  to  describe  the  crash  when  he  broke 
from  the  covert ;  but — from  the  inside  of  a  wicker  basket 
with  a  lid  to  it  (oh  !  how  tame,  how  languidly  does  my  pen 
move  over  rny  paper  as  I  write  it ! )  away  sneaked  as  fine  a 
fox  as  ever  wore  a  brush,  and  certainly  afforded  us  a  very 
fine  run  of  an  hour,  when  he  fell  a  victim  to  the  pack, 
which,  I  must  say,  hunted  him  well. 

Nothing  is  to  be  done  in  Shropshire  without  a  luncheon  ; 
but  on  this  day  we  had  two,  first  at  the  inn  at  Ellesmere, 
after  our  run  ;  and  secondly,  at  the  house  of  a  very  re- 
spectable yeoman  by  the  name  of  Wynne  (of  Cricketh) 
where  the  second  fox  was  waiting.  The  second  luncheon, 
however,  saved  this  fox's  life  ;  for  after  the  usual  law  was 
given  him,  and  I  was  in  the  act  of  mounting  my  horse, 
Mr.  Wynne  came  out  to  me  and  said,  the  Squire  proposed 
one  other  bumber  toast,  which  he  hoped  I  would  return  and 
drink.  The  hounds  were  then  laid  on  ;  but  though  they 
were  sober,  the  faculty  of  smell  had  deserted  them,  and 
they  never  touched  upon  their  game,  The  exertions  of  their 
huntsman  (the  Squire  himself,)  however,  were  great. 
Mounted  upon  Magnet,  with  his  horn  in  his  mouth,  and  at 
three  parts  speed,  lie  made  his  casts  with  the  rapidity  of  a 


40  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Shaw :  but  one  peculiarity  attended  them.  If  the  fence 
into  one  field  was  larger  than  that  into  another,  that  field 
was  preferred — not  as  most  lively  to  hit  of  his  fox,  but  as 
most  likely  to  floor  some  of  his  field,  who,  with  his  three 
whippers-in  and  Tom  VVhitehouse,  were  hard  at  his  brush. 
As  the  pace  was  quick,  and  the  country  heavy,  I  was  be- 
ginning to  calculate  upon  how  long  the  nags  would  live 
without  a  check,  when  an  accident  occurred  that  put  a  stop 
to  all.  A  hare  got  up  in  view,  which  every  hound  followed 
into  Sir  Edward  Kynaston's  plantation,  and  thus  ended  the 
morning's  sport.  We  had  a  party  to  dinner,  and  the  eve- 
ning's cast  was  by  no  means  slow. 

Of  the  crack  men   among  the  Shropshire  riders,  Mr 
Lyster  of  Rowton  Castle,   1  have   already  spoken,  and  his 
brother  John  is  hard  and  determined,  but  not  so  much  at 
ease   on  his  horse,  or   so   quick.     I   do   not  include  Mr. 
George   Forester    among  the  Shropshire   sportsman,  or  of 
course  he  would  have  a  front  place;  but  he  is  at  work  in 
better  countries;  as  also  is  Mr.  Biddulf  of  Chirk  Castle,  a 
very  good  young  one,  who  hunts  with  Lord  Anson.     Mr. 
Henry  Fielding  likewise  can  only  be  called  a  visitor;  but, 
when  out,  he  goes  well.     Mr.  Lloyd  of  Aston,  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  beat  over  Shropshire.     He  knows  the  country  per- 
fectly, and  goes  at  a  good  pace  over  it.     Mr.  Henry  Monta- 
gue, of  the  Guards,  was  on  a  visit  to  Mr.  Lloyd  of  Dongey 
when  I  was  in  the  country,  and  having  heard  a  good   deal 
of  him  as  a  workman.  I  was  pleased  with  the  opportunity 
of  seeing  him.     He  is  a  powerful  horseman,  with  fine  hand 
jind  nerve,  and  I  know   no   man   whom  I   would    sooner 
mount  upon  a  young  horse — that  is  to  say,   if  he   were  a 
pretty  good  one;  if  not,  he  would  be   in  but  bad  hands,  as 
his  pace  is  quick.     Mr.  Henry  Lloyd,  brother  to  Mr.  Lloyd 
of  Dongey,  is  a  very  fair  performer,     He  puts   his   horses 
well  at  their  fences,  and  is  by  no  means    afraid  of  them. 
There  are  two  professional  gentlemen   in  Shrewsbury,  who 
will  charge  as  large  a  fence  as  most  people.     One  is  Coun- 
sellor   Slaney,    and   the   other  Mr.   Wynne,  a  surgeon  in 
<;reat   practice.     These  are  two   useful   men  in  the  field  ; 
for   in   case  of  an  accident,  if  the  Doctor  cannot  save  you, 
the  lawyer  may  make  your  will.    Mr.  Wynne  is  estimated  an 
excellent  judge  of  horses,  and  has  bred  and  sold  some  good 


SHROPSHIRE.  4J 

ones.  He  rides  hard  and  heavy,  therefore  the  secret — 
good  or  bad — soon  comes  out.  He  is,  however,  a  great 
lover  of  hunting,  and  for  that  and  other  reasons  very  much  * 
respected  in  Shropshire.  Mr.  Smythe  Owen  is  a  pretty, 
gentleman-like  rider,  and  his  horses  are  of  a  good  stamp, 
and  generally  fit  to  go. 

Among  the  young  ones,  Mr.  John  Hill  (brother  to  Sir 
Rowland)  stands  first  and  first ;  and,  if  he  had  a  good  sta- 
ble of  horses,  would  shew  most  of  them  the  trick.  He  is, 
however,  well  bred  to  ride.  His  father  could  ride  well,  and 
was  as  good  a  sportsman  as  ever  got  upon  a  horse — add  to 
which,  he  is  a  grand  son  of  the  old  Sir  John,  who  was  game 
to  the  back  bone.  Mr.  Rock  I  have  before  spoketi  of  as  a 
thrusting  young  one  ;  and  the  heir-apparent  to  Woodhouse 
(Mr.  Owen)  and  Mr.  Kynaston  (son  of  Sir  Edward)  train- 
ed on  very  much  whilst  1  was  in  the  country.  Let  them 
look  to  Will  Staples ;  they  cannot  study  a  better  master. 

Of  Mr.  Mytton,  as  a  rider,  I  need  not  say  much,  for  he 
is  as  well  known  as  the  horse  at  Charingcross.  Strength 
will  be  served  :  and  few  men  make  more  of  a  hunter  than 
he  does  over  a  stroug  and  deep  country.  As  a  proof  of 
this,  his  horses  scarcely  ever  stop  with  him,  though  he  is 
not  particular  as  to  his  ground  or  pace  ;  and  as  to  fences, 
there  are  times  when  the  larger  they  are  the  better  he  likes 
them.  The  time  of  the  day,  however,  does  not  operate 
only  upon  him.  My  old  friend,  Sir  Edward  Smythe,  is  a 
much  better  man  after  luncheon  than  he  is  before  ;  and  I. 
know  no  one  who  does  more  credit  to.  a  little  jumping 
powder  than  he  does.  I  have  seen  the  time  when  1  would 
back  him  to  leap  five-barred  gates  with  any  man  in  Eng- 
land. 

Although  not  exactly  connected  with  Shropshire,  yet  as 
a  rider  very  well  known  in  that  part  of  the  country,  I  can- 
not pass  over  a  very  old  friend  of  mine,  because  I  think 
he  excels  in  the  art  I  have  been  speaking  of.  When  I  first 
hnew  him  his  name  was  Lloyd  Kenyon,  first  cousin  to  Mr. 
Kenyon  of  Pradoe ;  then,  by  an  acquisition  of  fortune,  it 
was  Lloyd  Lloyd ;  and  now,  by  another  turn  of  the  wheel, 
it  is  Lloyd  Williams. 

This  gentleman  resides  at  Penylan,  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Britain,  and  within  easy  teach  of  Sir  Richard  Pules- 

VOL.   II.  4* 


NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

ton's  and  Sir  VV'atkin's  hounds,  and  he  can  occasionally 
reach  the  Cheshire;  but  he  has  been,  for  several  seasons, 
an  attendant  on  Sir  Thomas  Mostyn's  hounds  in  Oxford- 
shire. I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  my  friend  was  ever  a 
Tom  Smith,  or  a  Holyoake ;  but  this  I  will  say  of  him 
(and  lie  has  always  kept  a  good  place  with  hounds,)  that 
what  he  does  he  does  well.  He  has  a  particularly  neat 
eeat ;  his  horse  is  always  well  saddled  aud  bridled  ;  and 
from  the  sole  of  his  boot  to  the  crown  of  his  hat  he  is  dress- 
ed like  a  sportsman  and  a  gentleman. 

There  is  another  .gentleman  in  this  part  of  the  world 
worthy  of  notice.  His  name  is  Newton  of  Pickhill  Hall, 
near  Wjexham.  Though  a  great  weight,  he  makes  a  cap- 
ital fight  over  a  country  ;  but  I  remember  him  at  Oxford, 
where  he  took  a  very  fair  degree  with  the  two  packs  of 
hounds  which  hunt  that  country.  Sir  Bellingham  Graham 
has  now  given  up  the  country,  and  for  the  future  it  is  to  be 
under  the  management  of  Mr.  Smythe  Owen  of  Condover, 
with  the  subscription  now  given  (arid  as  much  more  as  can 
be  had) ;  and  the  hounds  were  purchased  from  Sir  Belling- 
ham for  six  hundred  guineas.  The  servants  also  remain 
with  the  hounds  ;  and  a  certain  number  of-  their  horses 
were  purchased  from  Sir  Bellingham  to  carry  them.  This 
sporting  Baronet  retires  from  public  life,  and  is  gone  to  his 
seat  in  Yorkshire,  whither  the  wishes  of  all  good  sportsmen 
will  attend  him.  One  of  the  first  acts  that  he  performed 
on  his  arrival  at  home  was  to  subscribe  one  hundred  pounds 
•to  the  York  and  Ainsty  fox  hounds. 

On  the  26th  of  February,  Mr.  Mvtton  and  myself  went 
to  Marbury,  the  seat  of  Mr.  Domville  Poole,  situated  in  the 
best  part  of  the  Cheshire  country,  and  where  we  were  with- 
in easy  reach  of  the  Cheshire  hounds  on  the  next  morning. 
The  day,  however,  blasted  all  our  hopes;  and  after  a  hand- 
some find  in  one  gorse,  and  chopping  a  pie-bald  fox  in  an- 
other, we  were  glad  to  get  back  to  the  fire-side  at  Marbury. 
The  next  day,  however,  made  ample  amends. 

Our  place  of  meeting  was  Shavington,  the  seat  of  Lord 
Kilmorey,  and  we  found  immediately  in  some  beautiful 
briar,  lying  in  the  plantation.  We  ran  this  fox  forty-seven 
minutes  at  a  very  good  pac^  but  we  lost  him  by  an  unlucky 


CHESHIRE.  43 

accident.  Some  idea,  however,  may  be  formed  of  the  pace 
and  the  severity  of  the  country,  by  the  following  fact.  At 
the  second  check,  Mr.  John  Hill  (brother  to  Sir  Rowland) 
and  myself  counted  the  field,  when  there  were  only  eigh- 
teen out  of  at  least  one  hundred  and  sixty  horsemen  who 
sf.irted  ;  neither  did  any  more  appear  until  we  gave  up  the 
chase  and  turned  back  to  them. 

For  our  second  fox  we  went  to  Combermere,  the  seat  of 
Lord  Combermere,  and  found  in  the  same  small  plantation 
which  produced  the  fox  that  shewed  the  beautiful  forty-five 
minutes  on  the  last  day  but  one  that  I  was  out  with  the 
Cheshire  hounds,  but  which  fox  never  lived  to  return.  We 
ran  him  nine  minutes  at  a  racing  pace,  and  turned  him  up 
in  view.  I  expected  to  have  seen  him  diseased,  but  he 
appeared  quite  clean.  Without  suffering  the  hounds  to 
worry  him,  we  returned  to  the  park,  to  another  fox  which 
had  been  seen  there,  and  he  went  away  in  view. 

Nothing  short  of  Leicestershire,  or  some  other  very  crack 
country,  cduld  have  shewn  a  prettier  thing  than  we  had 
with  this  our  third, fox;  and  at  the  end  of  about  forty  min- 
utes we  turned  him  up  also — a  singular  circumstance  oc- 
curring at  the  finish.  Not  two  minutes  before  he  died,  and 
in  full  view  of  those  who  were  close  with  the  hounds,  this 
fox  leaped  a  five-barred  gate  without  touching  it  (as  a  grey- 
hound would  leap  it,)  as  much  as  to  say,  '  this  is  my  last  ef- 
fort for  my  life.' 

It  has  so  happened,  that  previous  to  this  season  I  never 
hunted  with  the  Cheshire  hounds.  As  a  pack  their  repu- 
tation has  not  been  great,  but  considerable  allowance  must 
be  granted  them.  Their  late  manager,  a  most  excellent 
sportsman  of  the  Old  School,  became,  in  the  language  of 
the  day,  slow  and  they  were  hunted  by  a  man  sadly  below 
the  mark.  Were  I  to  hazard  an  opinion,  I  should  say, 
they  never  were  so  good  as  they  now  are,  under  the  m^n- 
agement  of  Sir  Harry  Mainwaring,  and  hunted  by  Will 
Head,  formerly  in  the  service  of  Sir  Bellingham  Graham, 
and  three  years  head  whipper-in  to  the  Cheshire.  To  the 
eye,  they  come  more  under  the  denomination  of  a  useful 
than  a  handsome  pack  of  hounds,  though  certainly  by  no 
means  wanting  in  the  common  requisites  of  fox-hounds. 
On  the  first  day  1  was  out  with  them,  I  considered  them 


44  MMROD'S  HUNTING  TOIR. 

unhandy  ;  but  it  was  rather  a  wild  morning,  and  two  scents 
a-foot.  This  also  should  be  said,  Will  Head  has  only  hunt- 
ed them  three  seasons,  and  Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day. 

I  considered  the  condition  of  the  Cheshire  hounds  par- 
ticularly good.  Indeed,  I  must  go  so  far  as  to  pass  over  all 
other  packs  save  his  Grace  of  Beaufort's,  which  I  had  seen 
up  to  that  period,  and  give  the  preference  to  them  in  this 
respect.  The  brightness  of  their  skins,  and  their  general 
healthy  and  even  state,  are  worthy  of  all  the  praise  I  can 
bestow ;  and  the  more  credit  is  due  to  Will  for  this,  having 
three  kennels  to  boil  in — some  of  them  nond  of  the  best, 
and  consequently  a  deal  of  travelling — to  say  nothing  of 
being  often  obliged  to  feed  at  irregular  hours. 

One  other  fact  I  must  also  speak  to.  With  the  exception 
of  one  mistake,  no  hounds  in  any  country  could  have  done 
their  work  in  a  more  masterly  way  than  the  Cheshire  did 
on  the  28th  of  February;  and  what  this  mistake  was  I  shall 
take  leave  to  mention.  There  is  in  this  pack  a  bitch  called 
Lightsome,  who  is  at  times  a  most  excellent  bitch — doing, 
indeed,  what  many  others  cannot  do — but  she  will  occa- 
sionally run  hare,  and  this  was  the  case  on  the  day  I  have 
been  speaking  of,  when  she  evidently  lost  us  our  fox.  She 
was  encouraged  (not  by  Will  Head)  to  hare  for  more  than 
a  mile,  and  when  the  mistake  was  found,  it  was  too  late  to 
rectify  it.  Now,  with  submission  I  say  it,  this  is  the  hound 
of  all  others  I  would  draft;  for  being  so  good  on  some  oc- 
casions makes  her  more  dangerous  on  others,  and  if  not 
more  harm  than  good  arise  from  her  in  the  course  of  a  sea- 
son, she  ensures  one  thing — discredit  to  the  performance 
of  some  particular  days. 

I  observed  one  thing  extremely  baffling  to  hounds  when 
running  over  this  part  of  Cheshire ;  and  that  was  the  num- 
ber of  hares  (at  least  one  to  an  acre)  which  were  contin- 
ually getting  up  as  we  were  in  chase.  Exclusive  of  the 
view,  there  is  a  strong  scent  from  a  hare  at  this  season  of 
year ;  and,  doubtless,  they  save  many  a  fox's  life,  and  destroy 
many  a  fine  run.  As  to  riot  in  general,  I  considered  the 
Cheshire  hounds  about  as  free  from  it  as  the  majority  of 
packs  one  hunts  with. 

On  the  two  first  days  I  hunted  with  the  Cheshire  hounds, 
I  held  the  fences  in  perfect  contempt.  So  far  from  seeing 


CHESHIRE.          '  45 

• 

anything  like  '  a  stopper,'  I  met  with  nothing  which  a  hun- 
ter could  not  have  got  over  with  three  legs.  On  the  third 
day,  however,  I  altered  my  opinion  of  them,  and  was  con- 
vinced that  it  requires  a  hunter  to  carry  a  man  over  Cheshire. ' 
In  the  country  over  which  we  ran  our  third  fox  (and  a  very 
good  country  it  was — chiefly  grass,  with  large-sized  fields,) 
I  found  some  strong  quick  fences,  with  good  wide  ditches; 
but  this  is  not  all.  in  the  greater  part  of  Cheshire,  the 
fence  is  placed  on  a  very  narrow  bank,  or  cop  as  it  is 
termed,  and  strengthened  by  a  very  deep  ditch.  'j'his  kind 
of  fence  not  only  requires  a  horse  to  be  quick  and  ready 
with  his  legs — as  he  must  spring  from  the  cop  when  the 
ditch  is  from  him — but  it  also  requires  a  horseman  to  get 
him  over  it  with  safety  when  he  becomes  a  little  distressed. 
Temper  also  in  the  horse  is  almost  indispensable  here  ; 
and  I  really  think  it  may  be  asserted,  that,  provided  behave 
speed,  a  hunter  that  can  go  well  over  Cheshire  can  go  well 
over  almost  every  other  country. 

There  are  several  good  riders  in  the  Cheshire  Hunt ;  but 
the  crack  man  of  the  field,  and  of  whom  most  has  been 
said,  is  Mr.  James  Tomkinson.  Mr.  Tomkinson  has  not 
only  been,  for  many  years,  a  very  first  rate  performer  in 
Cheshire;  but,  whenever  he  attempted  it,  could  always  go 
the  pace  in  Leicestershire,  and  has  ridden  the  best  of 
horses.  His  brother,  the  Major,  is  said  to  be  equally  good, 
though  not  so  well  horsed. 

There  are  several  more  fast  men  over  a  country  in  the 
Cheshire  Hunt:  mine  host,  Mr.  Domville  Poole,  very  good 
indeed;  as  also  Sir  Richard  Brook,  Colonel  Brook,  Mr. 
Glegg,  Mr.  Ford,  &,c.  Lord  Delamere  also,  not  only  as  a 
sportsman,  but  as  a  first-flight  man  for  so  many-  years  in 
Leicestershire,  must  not  be  forgotten  ;  and  I  was  glad  to 
see  him  once  more  in  the  field.  Though  his  pace  is  not 
quite  what  it  was,  he  is,  I  am  told,  still  always  in  a  good 
place. 

There  is  one  peculiarity  attends  the  members  of  the 
Cheshire  Hunt — almost  all  of  them  ride  in  leather  breech- 
es. That  they  are  well  adapted  to  the  saddle,  and  for  rid- 
ing long  distances  on  the  road,  no  one  will  doubt;  but  in 
all  other  countries  they  are  accounted  chad  slow  in  the  field. 
Were  anv  other  man  but  Mr.  William  Coke  (who  is  always 


46  NJMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

• 

clad  in  leather)  to  be  seen  in  them  in  Leicestershire,  some 
remarks  would  be  made  ;  but  as  his  fault  is  being  too  fast 
for  hounds,  he  gets  off  cheap.  That  they  are  the  best  pro- 
tection against  thorns,  every  one  must  admit ;  and  I  was 
told  in  Cheshire  that  the  general  objection  to  them  for  hun- 
ting— that  is,  being  cold  when  wet — is  obviated  by  the  use 
of  flannel  drawers.  Fashion,  however,  '  bears  sovereign 
sway  '  in  all  such  important  matters  ;  and,  in  most  coun- 
tries, '  going  the  pace '  in  leather  breeches  is  considered 
an  impossibility.  If  accompanied  by  a  straight-cut  coat, 
the  point  is  at  once  decided.  . 

On  the  two  days  I  have  been  speaking  of  there  was 
some  sharp  riding  with  the  Cheshire  hounds.  Mr.  Mytton 
was  on  his  Hit-or-Miss  mare,  for  the  honor  of  Shropshire, 
and  the  esprit  de  corps  was  all  alive.  With  the  first  fox 
from  Shavington,  Major  Tomkinson,  on  his  grey  horse,  had 
the  best  of  the  burst,  with  his  brother  '  Jemmy,'  as  he  is 
called,  and  Mr.  Mytton  hard  at  his  brush.  With  the  sec- 
ond the  Major  made  an  unlucky  turn,  and  his  brother,  Mr. 
Mytton,  Mr.  Domville  Poole,  and  Mr.  John  Hill  (brother  to 
Sir  Rowland)  were  the  leading  men.  Will  Head  also  rode 
very  near  to  his  hounds. 

From  what  I  have  heard  of  the  Cheshire  country,  noth- 
ing can  be  better  conducted,  or  made  more  agreeable  to 
the  manager  of  the  pack  than  all  pecuniary  concerns.  The 
subscription — 200U/.  per  annum — is  paid  to  the  appointed 
day,  and  there  are  no  less  than  fifty  gorse  coverts  in  the 
Hunt.  One  kennel  is  upon  Delamere  Forest,  another  at 
Wrenbury  on  the  Shropshire  side  the  country,  and  the 
country,  and  the  other  at  Peover,  near  Knutsford,  the  seat 
of  Sir  Harry  Main  waring  who  has  had  the  management  of  the 
Cheshire  hounds  for  the  last  six  seasons,  and  has  given  uni- 
versal satisfaction.  Well,  indeed,  he  may  ;  for  he  is  not 
only  a  most  zealous  sportsman,  but  one  of  the  best  temper- 
ed men  in  the  world.  Although  it  was  not  in  my  power  to 
accept  of  his  very  kind  invitation  to  Peover,  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  spending  two  days  with  him  at  Mr.  Domville 
Poole's,  and  found  him  an  unaffected  country  gentleman 
and  a  very  agreeable  companion. 

I  considered  Sir  Harry's  men  very  efficiently  mounted  ; 
and  a  bay  mare  of  Will  Head's  of  a  stamp  quite  superior. 


CHESHIRE.  47 

The  stud  was  also  in  uncommonly  good  condition,  under 
the  care  of  Charles  Davis. 

Will  Head  commenced  his  career  with  the  Duke  of  Rut- 
land's hounds.  In  1817,  he  went  to  the  Badsworth,  and 
whipped-in  to  them  one  season;  next  to  Mr.  Osbaldeston, 
two  seasons;  and  then  to  Sir  Bellingham  Graham,  for  one, 
during  the  time  he  hunted  Northamptonshire.  From  him 
he  went  to  the  Cheshire  hounds,  with  which  he  began  as 
whipper-in,  but  which  he  has  now  hunted  two  seasons, 
giving  great  satisfaction.  He  is  very  zealous  to  kill  his 
fox;  rides  well  up  to  his  hounds;  has  a  nice  cheering  hal- 
loo, though  perhaps  a  little  too  free  with  it  at  times.  Of 
his  two  whippers-in  I  can  say  but  little,  as  I  did  not  see 
them  in  difficulties  sufficient  to  try  them. 

I  was  born  and  bred  within  a  gun's  shot  of  Cheshire,  and 
it  is  natural  to  conclude  that  the  first  fox-hounds  I  ever 
hunted  with  were  kept  in  that  county.  The  owner  of  them 
was  the  late  William  Leech,  Esq.  of  Garden,  one  of  the 
finest  places  in  Cheshire. 

Mr.  Leech  was  one  of  those  characters  of  which  the 
breed  is  nearly  lost,  and  which,  when  gone,  will  never  be 
again  seen  in  this  country — the  plain,  unadulterated  Eng- 
lish country  gentleman,  who,  possessing  full  ten  thousand 
a  year,  never  left  his  seat,  except  he  was  called  to  his 
county  town,  or  went  to  visit  his  friends.  Being  a  single 
man,  he  did  not  even  keep  a  carriage  of  any  sort  till  far 
advanced  in  years  ;  but  the  whole  pleasure  of  his-  life  was 
centered  in  the  enjoyment  of  field  sports  in  the  morning, 
and  the  society  of  his  friends  at  night.  In  the  present 
times,  however,  he  would  be  considered  dead  slow.  He 
dined  at  three  o'clock  if  by  himself,  or  if  he  had  only  a 
few  of  his  intimate  friends  in  his  house;  and,  strange  to 
say,  though  he  kept  fox-hounds,  and  hunted  them  himself 
for  a  long  series  of  years — possessing  also  abilities  quite 
above  the  common  standard — he  knew  very  little  about  fox- 
hunting. 

Cicero  says  of  Anthony,  that '  he  had  a  witty  mirth  which 
could  be  acquired  by  no  art;'  and  the  compliment  might 
have  been  as  justly  paid  to  Mr.  Leech.  His  company  was 
sought  after  more  than  that  of  any  other  man  in  his  neigh- 
borhood ;  and  so  original  was  his  wit,  and  so  happily  was 


48  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

it  applied,  that  he  might  have  been  termed  the  very  life  and 
soul  of  every  party  he  was  in.  Although  naturally  abste- 
mious, yet  in  a  party  he  never  failed  to  sacrifice  most  freely 
to  the  god  of  wine,  and  his  wit  and  humor  seemed  to  in- 
crease with  every  glass  he  drank.  The  signal  of  enough — 
and  he  generally  went  the  length  of  his  tether — was  an  at- 
tempt to  sing  the  first  verse  of  a  song,  beginning  with 

'  Women  and  wine  the  heart  delight.' 

I  wish  I  could  recollect  a  twentieth  part  of  the  smart 
repartees  and  witty  sayings  of  Mr.  Leech;  bat  in  the  in- 
terval of  time  they  are  lost.  One  of  his  bottle  companions 
of  the  sacerdotal  order  asked  him  to  go  to  church  and  hear 
him  preach.  He  afterwards  wished  to  know  what  he 
thought  of  his  sermon.  '  Why/  replied  Mr.  Leech,  '  I  like 
you  better  in  bottle  than  in  wood.'  He  was  very  inti- 
mate with  Sir  Richard  Puleston :  and  as  Sir  Richard 
sometimes  borrowed  his  hounds,  when  he  was  himself  with- 
out any  in  his  kennel,  and  always  sent  them  home  in  bet- 
ter tune  than  he  received  them,  he  generally  called  him  my 
huntsman  Dick.  Riding  over  to  Emral  one  day,  soon  after 
Sir  Richard  had  been  having  a  fall  of  timber,  which  open- 
ed to  the  view  his  parish  church,  Mr.  Leech  remarked,  that 
he  could  not  think  what 'had  made  his  huntsman  so  well 
behaved  lately,  but  said  he,  '  I've  found  it  out ;  he  does 
now  sometimes  get  a  sight  of  the  church.'  Though  never 
profane,  Mr.  Leech  would  have  his  joke.  He  was  once 
asked  if  he  ever  went  to  church  ?  '  Oh  yes/  answered  he, 
'  but  I  am  no  church  glutton.' 

Inheriting  a  sound  constitution,  rising  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, pursuing  the  sports  of  the  field,  and  generally  of  tem- 
pvrate  habits,  Mr.  Leech  lived  to  (I  think)  the  age  of  eighty- 
six  ;  and  as  a  proof  that  the  charm»«of  conversation  and 
the  pleasures  of  a  social  glass  lived  as  long  as  he  did,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  observe,  that,  the  year  before  he  died,  he 
sat  down  to  dinner  with  a  friend  of  his  at  Chester  at  one 
o'clock,  in  the  afternoon,  and  at  two  o'clock  the  next 
morning  he  got  into  his  carriage  to  go  home. 

Mr.  Leech  is  gone;  and  with  him  is  gone  his  sort  of 
English  gentleman.  He  spent  his  money  in  the  country 
from  which  he  received  it ;  he  kept  a  most  hospitable 


SIR  R.  PULESTON.  49 

house  ;  was  a  sincere  friend  and  a  most  entertaining  com- 
panion ;  and  for  these  reasons,  he  never  spoke  ill  of  any 
man :  he  was  ever  in  good  humor :  and  in  all  his  jokes  he 
never  forgot  the  wholesome  lesson  of  the  Satirist — 

'  Who,  for  the  poor  renown  of  being  smart, 
Would  leave  a  sting  within  a  brother's  heart?' 

The  Cheshire. farmers  are  good   preservers  of  foxes,  and 
a  blank  in  their  gorse  coverts  is  a  rarity. 

On  Wednesday  the  1st  of  March,  Mr.  Mytton  and  my- 
self took  leave  of  Mr.  Domville  Poole,  and  met  Sir  Rich- 
ard Puleston's  hounds  at  the  kennel.  Our  first  fox  did 
nothing  for  us,  but  we  had  a  beautiful  forty-five  minutes 
with  our  second,  and  killed  in  good  style.  Since  1  have 
known  what  hunting  is,  I  never  saw  hounds  go  faster  over 
a  ploughed  country  than  they  did  on  this  day,  and  he  must 
have  been  a  good  fox  to  have  stood  so  long.  Many  years 
have  passed  over  rny  head  since  I  hunted  with  these  hounds, 
and  1  was  struck,  not  only  with  the  increased  pace  of  the 
pack,  but  of  those  who  followed  them.  There  was  no 
stopping  to  look  what  was  on  the  other  side,  as  in  days  of 
yore,  in  this  country ;  but  away  went  three  or  four  young 
Eytons,  a  young  Kynaston,  a  young  Owen,  and  a  nephew 
of  mine,  with  the  Squire  of  Halston  and  two  or  three  more 
older  hands,  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  an  hour.  Well 
was  it  for  the  hounds  that  there  was  a  good  scent,  or  some 
of  them  must  have  been  killed,  as  giving  them  time  to  get 
together  formed  no  part  of  the  system  of  this  day  ;  and  Sir 
Richard's  '  hold  hard,'  though  sung  out  most  audibly  on 
the  occasion,  and  sufficient  to  have  halted  a  charge  of  cav- 
alry, had  no  more  effect  than  a  summer's  shower  upon  a 
rock  of  adamant.  '  Go  it,  my  tulip,'  was  the  order  of  the 
day  with  these  aspiring  young  Nimrods,  and  very  merrily 
they  did  go. 

Sir  Richard  Puleston  is  a  very  old  master  of  fox-hounds, 
having  kept  them  almost  thirty-five  years.  Although  chief- 
ly con tincd  to  his  home  country,  he  has  at  different  times 
had  the  Shropshire,  the  Shiffnal,  and  Lord  Anson's  coun- 
tries, in  e;ich  of  which  I  hunted  with  him,  and  though  never 
er  what  would  now  be  called  a  hard  rider,  he  has  always 

VOL.  n.  5 


50  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

been  esteemed  a  good  judge  of  hunting  and  an  excellent 
breeder  of  hounds.  Sir  Richard  also  may  almost  be  said 
to  have  set  the  example  of  gentlemen  hunting  their  own 
hounds — an  example  which  has  been  perhaps  too  generally 
followed,  as  not  always  leading  to  the  best  results. 

As  a  huntsman  to  a  pack  of  fox-hounds — since  the  days 
of  Flying  Ben  and  the  Blue  Horse* — Sir  Richard  Pules- 
ton  has  labored  under  some  disadvantage,  in  not  riding 
very  near  to  his  hounds — a  disadvantage  not  generally  con- 
sidered so  important  as  it  really  is.  Of  his  judgment  in 
the  field,  however,  I  have  ever  thought  highly,  and  his 
voice  and  manner  in  drawing  his  coverts  were  always  mu- 
sical and  good  ;  but  for  many  years  past  he  has  had  a  hunts- 
man to  assist  him. 

Sir  Richard's  present  pack  is  young,  but  in  themselves 
highly  creditable  to  his  judgment  as  a  breeder.  They 
want  nothing  but  some  good  efficient  men  about  them, 
who  will  be  as  quick  as  themselves,  to  make  them  into  a 
very  clever  pack.  Ned  Bates  is  getting  heavy  ;  his  voice 
is  cracked — hut,  like  Falstaff,  not  with  singing  anthems — 
and  his  day  is  gone  by  ;  and  his  second  whipper-in  is  too 
young  to  be  of  much  assistance  to  him,  but  that  is  a  fault 
which  may  mend  itself.  He  is  well  bred,  being  got  by 
Old  Ned  out  of  a  neighboring  dairy  maid — by  no  means  a 
bad  cross  for  hounds. 

Sir  Richard  Puleston's  country  comprises  part  of  Shrop- 
shire, Denbighshire,  and  Flintshire — his  house  being  situ- 
ated in  the  latter  county.  Were  it  not  for  the  River  Dee, 
which  meanders  through  the  best  part  of  the  grazing  dis- 
trict, it  would  be  a  very  pretty  one  indeed.  The  fences 
are  easy,  the  coverts  not  generally  large ;  and  he  showed 
me  a  list  of  no  less  than  eighteen  new  gorse  coverts  which 
his  friends  have  made  for  him ;  but  he  has  at  present  no 
subscription  to  his  hounds. 

Sir  Richard  Puleston  is  not  only  a  highly-bred  English 
gentleman,  unsophisticated  by  foreign  fopperies ;  but  he  is 
— what  is  of  still  more  value — a  sincere  friend.  As  a 

*  Two  celebrated  hunters  of  Sir  Richard's,  the  latter  of 
which  hunted  till  past  twenty  years  of  age — refusing  to  be  put 
to  any  other  easier  work. 


SIR  R,  PULESTON.  51 

companion  Sir  Richard  possesses  talent  of  the  first  order, 
and  in  colloquial  wit  is  seldom  excelled.  A  few  of  his 
bans  mots  are  too  good  to  be  lost.  He  was  once  asked 
what  he  thought  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  ?  '  Why,' 
answered  Sir  Richard,  '  I  think  the  Law  pockets  the  Proph- 
ets (profits)  most  damnably.' — Some  years  ago,  when  Men- 
doza  the  boxer  was  in  his  glory,  Sir  Richard  was  one  of  a 
party  where  the  bottle  had  circulated  rather  freely,  and 
two  Welch  Squires  were  nodding  in  their  chairs,  with  their 
heads  so  close  that  there  was  some  danger  of  their  coining 
into  contact.  '  Remove  those  gentlemen's  chairs  a  little,' 
said  one  of  their  friends,  '  or  they  will  fight  in  their  sleep.' 
— '  That  would  be  Men-dozing,'  exclaimed  the  Baronet. — 
A  brother  sportsman  once  asked  him  (alluding  to  the  form 
of  a  horse)  what  he  thought  of  a  hollow  back  ?  '  I  like  a 
hollow  (halloo)  forward  better,'  replied  he. — Another 
brother  sportsman,  a  master  of  fox-hounds,  once  told  him 
he  heard  his  harriers  had  been  running  one  of  his  foxes. — 
'  Well,'  said  Sir  Richard,  '  you  run  my  game,  and  why 
should  not  I  run  yours.' — A  gentleman  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, whom  he  knew  to  be  fond  of  his  money,  told  him  he 
must  go  to  town  in  the  spring,  for  a  polish.  '  Go  to  Bir- 
mingham,'said  Sir  Richard;  '  they  will  do  it  cheaper  for 
you  there.1 — When  speaking  of  a  certain  Lady  who  was  in 
the  habit  of  turning  up  her  eyes  towards  Heaven  one  mo- 
ment, and  talking  rather  loosely  the  next,  he  observed,  in 
the  language  of  the  stud,  that  '  she  was  got  by  the  W/iole 
Duty  of  Man  out  of  the  Woman  of  Pleasure.' 

The  following  anecdote  is  too  interesting  to  be  omitted. 
When  his  present  Majesty  (George  IV.)  was  Prince  of. 
Wales  he  paid  a  visit  to  the  late  Sir  Robert  Leighton,  of  Lor 
ton  near  Shrewsbury  ;  as  also  to  Lord  Forester  (then  Mr. 
Forester,)  who  in  those  days  resided  at  Ross  Hall,  near  the 
same  place  ;  and  Sir  Richard  (then  Mr.)  Puleston  was, 
commanded  to  meet  them. 

A  wish  was  expressed  by  his  Majesty  to  enter  the  Prin? 
cipality  of  Wales;  but,  aware  that  this  could  not  be  done 
by  him  as  Prince  of  Wales,  unaccompanied  by  the  pomp 
and  pageantry  of  circumstances,  unless  in  the  most  private 
manner,  he  commanded  Sir  Richard  to  conduct  him  to  the 
nearest  part  of  it?  which  frorn  his  knowledge  of  the  CQunr 


52  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

try  he  was  enabled  to  do.  When  they  approached  the 
spot  where  a  small  rivulet  divided  the  marshes  of  Wales, 
Sir  Richard  cantered  forward,  and,  plucking  from  an  oak 
tree  a  sprig  with  some  acorns  suspended  to  it,  presented  it 
on  his  knee  to  his  Prince  the  moment  he  entered  his  Prin- 
cipality. The  device  was  extremely  appropriate,  and  His 
Majesty  placed  the  bough  in  his  hat  expressive  of  the  sense 
he  entertained  of  it ;  and  shortly  after,  when  he  was  pleas- 
ed— in  the  fulfillment,  I  believe,  of  an  old  promise — to 
present  Sir  Richard  with  his  Baronetcy,  he  commanded 
him  to  bear,  as  an  additional  crest,  an  oak  tree,  with  golden 
acorns  suspended  from  one  of  its  boughs. 

The  Duke  of  Clarence  (his  present  Majesty)  accompa- 
nied His  Royal  Brother  on  this  rural  excursion,  and  \vas 
highly  gratified  with  the  beauty  of  the  scenery,  as  well  as 
the  novelty  of  the  circumstance.  This  temporary  suspen- 
sion, indeed,  of  a  life  of  state  could  not  be  without  its 
charms  ;  and  I  have  heard  it  said  the  Royal  Brothers  were 
in  high  spirits  the  rest  of  the  day.  On  Sir  Richard  shew- 
ing them  the  situation  in  which  the  city  of  Chester  lay,  the 
Duke  of  Clarence  observed,  that  his  old  tutor,  Dr.  Majen- 
die  (then  Bishop  of  Chester,)  lived  there,  and  related  some 
amusing  anecdotes  of  the  days  in  which  he  was  under  his  • 
care. 

1  never  heard  Sir  Richard  Puleston  say  any  thing  of 
this  affair,  but  his  conduct  on  the  occasion  vvas'quite  class- 
ical. The  British  oak  is  a  proper  type  of  a  British  King; 
for,  'midst  storms  and  tempests  the  one  stands  secure,  and 
neither  plots  nor  factions  can  shake  the  resting  place  of 
the  other.  But  this  is  net  all :  in  days  of  yore  nothing 
could  be  done — no  ceremonies  at  least  could  be  performed 
— without  having  recourse  to  this  monarch  of  the  plain,  by 
some  even  called  '  the  chosen  tree  of  God.'  We  have 
read  in  Virgil,  that  when  his  hero  JEneas  had  killed  the 
tyrant  .liezentius,  and  afterwards  sacrificed  to  the  god  of 
war,  he  bared  an  oak  of  its  leaves,  and  hanged  the  gaudy 
trappings  of  the  dead  monster  on  its  naked  trunk  !  It  is 
not  in  the  power  of  language  to  say  more  than  this  ! 

On  the  10th  of  March  I  left  home  for  Pitsford  in  North- 
amptonshire, where  Mr,  Musters'  resides  in  the  hunting 


season.  His  house  is  situated  a  little  to  the  right  of  the 
rdad  from  Northampton  to  Market  Harborough,  and  within 
a  mile  and  a  half  of  Brixworth,  where  the  kennel  and  sta- 
bles are. 

On  the  day  I  arrived,  Mr.  Musters'  hounds  had  met  at 
Kelmarsh,  the  fine  seat  of  Mr.  Hanbury,  where  I  was  in- 
formed a  field  of  at  least  two  hundred  were  assembled,  and 
they  were  very  near  having  a  capital  run.  As  it  was,  they 
had  a  pretty  little  burst  at  a  racing  pace,  and  killed  ;  but 
one  fox  went  away  over  a  magnificent  country,  with  only 
about  five  couples  of  hounds  on  the  scent — the  body  of 
them  having  gone  away  with  another  fox. 

To  Mr.  Musters,  as  a  huntsman,  the  Sporting  World 
have  unhesitatingly  assigned  the  palm  of  superiority ;  and, 
as  far  as  I  am  a  judge,  I  fully  confirm  their  verdict.  I 
must  say  of  him,  as  has  been  said  of  another,  that  (singu- 
lus  in  arte)  '  none  but  himself  can  be  his  parallel.' 

Mr.  Musters  hunted  a  pack  of.  harriers  when  a  boy. — 
His  father  kept  a  pack  of  fox-hounds  f<jr  many  years ;  and 
— independently  o'f  the  advantages  he  has  had  of  seeing 
hounds  in  all  the  best  countries  in  England — he  has  been 
at  the  head  of  a  pack  of  his  own  for  twenty-three  seasons. 

On  the  llth  the  dog  pack  met  at  Mr.  Musters'  house. — 
In  about  a  mile  and  a  half  we  arrived  at  Moulton's  gorse, 
and  found  directly.  An  awkard  brook  immediately  at 
starting;  severe  ground,  and  the  pace,  scattered  the  field, 
and  made  a  check  at  the  end  of  twelve  minutes  by  no 
means  amiss.  Mr.  Musters'  second  cast  was  a  masterly 
one,  and  we  ran  our  fox  to  ground  in  about  twelve  minutes 
more.  We  found  again  in  Siwell  Wood,  and  had  a  fine 
run  of  upwards  of  one  hour.  The  country  was  between 
wet  and  dry,  consequently  most  severe,  and  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  distress  among  the  nags.  We  had  plenty  of 
pace  and  plenty  of  hunting ;  but,  in  consequence  of  a  long 
check,  only  seven  saw  the  finish,  which  was  beautiful. — 
We  got  him  dead  beaten — in  the  midst  of  the  hounds — in 
a  small  covert ;  but  by  one  of  those  quick  turns  that  foxes 
make  on  these  occasions,  he  broke  again  close  to  my  horse's 
heels,  and  got  into  a  main  earth  in  a  hedge-row.  It  was  a 
fine  day's  sport. 

As  this  was  my  first  appearance  in  this  part  of  North- 

VOL.  II.  5* 


54  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOTK. 

amptonshire,  I  was  somewhat  anxious  to  see  the  country* 
With  our  first  fox  I  did  not  like  it.  It  was  almost  all 
plough,  in  small  enclosures,  hilly,  and  altogether  provincial. 
With  our  second  it  was  better  ;  a  good  fox-hunting  country, 
with  a  good  share  of  grass,  but  not  first-rate.  Siwell 
Wood  I  consider  a  beautiful  covert. 

Monday  the  13th  met  at  the  village  of  Great  Harrowden, 
about  ten  miles  from  Pitsford,  on  the  great  road  between 
Welford  and  Market  -Harborough :  killed  a  brace  of  foxes 
in  the  course  of  the  day  ;  had  two  sharp  bursts,  and  some 
beautiful  hunting  with  the  bitch  pack. 

15th,  met  at  Fawsley,  near  Daventry,  the  seat  of  Sir 
Charles  Knightley,  twenty-two  miles  from  Pitsford.  Al- 
though no  longer  a  fox-hunter,  Sir  Charles  takes  care  of  the 
foxes,  and  we  found  directly.  Having  no  scent  we  could 
do  nothing. 

On  Monday  the  2Dth  met  at  one  of  their  very  crack 
places — Misterton,  the  seat  of  Mr.  Gough,  near  Lutter- 
worth.  Here  are  generally  to  be  seen  artists  from  all  the 
neighboring  Hunts,  and  some  splitting  work  is  the  conse- 
quence, if  a  good  fox  is  on  foot.  On  this  day,  however, 
owing  to  Lord  Anson's  fixture  being  a  good  one,  there  were 
not  more  than  two  or  three  of  his  men,  and  very  few  Quor- 
nites,  as  the  Duke  of  Rutland  met  at  a  gopd  place.  Mr. 
Holyoake  went  well  upon  old  i'aronet  in  spite  of  his  mu- 
sic— and  Mr.  Osbaldeston  was  also  in  the  field.  Altogeth- 
er, perhaps  a  hundred  and  twenty  horsemen — considered 
a  small  field  for  Misterton. 

We  had  the  dog  pack  on  this  day,  and  they  looked  pretty 
fit  to  go.  We  got  upon  a  newly-disturbed  fox,  and  ran  him 
half  an  hour,  but  lost  him.  It  was  long  enough,  however, 
to  shew  me  a  ckef-cTceuvre  of  Mr.  Musters.  The  hounds 
checked  in  a  spinney,  and  the  scent  was  back.  He  ap- 
peared to  turn  almost  before  his  hounds,  and  got  them  on 
the  line  again  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  We  lost  this 
fox,  and  found  again  at  Crick — the  very  finest  part  of 
Northamptonshire — and  had  a  beautiful  kill  at  the  end  of 
one  hour  and  sixteen  minutes.  There  was  not  a  good 
scent,  and  the  hounds  were  obliged  to  get  their  noses  down ; 
but,  without  assistance,  I  question  whether  they  would  have 
tasted  him. 


NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.  55 

The  Crick  country  is  almost  all  grass,  and  more  strongly 
fenced  than  any  part  of  Northamptonshire.  Indeed  I  da 
not  think  that  I  ever  saw  larger  or  rougher  fences  than  we 
had  with  our  first  fox  ;  and  there  were  consequently,  a  great 
many  falls.  One  gentleman,  I  was  sorry  to  hear,  had  his 
collar-bone  broken  ;  and  that  fine  horseman,  Mr.  Davey, 
was  knocked  down  three  times  by  the  fences  in  less  than 
as  many  miles.  I  considered  this  a  fine  day's  sport;  and 
every  one  went  home  in  good  spirits  and  pleased. 

On  Wednesday  the  29th  met  within  a  mile  of  Kettering, 
and  drew  the  finest  woodlands  my  eyes  ever  beheld.  They 
are  the  property  of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch  ;  and  when  I 
say  that  they  contain  avenues  to  the  extent  of  seventy 
miles  in  various  directions,  I  need  hardly  add  they  are  a 
treasure  to  a  master  of  fox-hounds.  After  running  one 
fox  to  ground,  and  seeing  some  very  pretty  hunting,  myself 
and  several  more  declined,  for  the  ground  was  dreadfully 
hard;  but  a  gallant  fox  went  away  to  Siwell  Wood  in  the 
afternoon,  and  afforded  a  fine  hunting  run  of  about  sixteen 
miles  point  blank  over  a  very  good  country. 

When  I  arrived  in  Northamptonshire  hunting  was  draw- 
ing to  a  close.  The  harsh  winds  of  March  ha'd  begun  to 
blow,  and  a  day's  sport  could  never  be  reckoned  upon. 
Mr.  Muster's  hounds,  however,  had  had  more  than  their 
share.  Indeed  they  were  allowed  by  all  to  have  had  a  cap- 
ital season,  and  they  may  be  said  to  have  been  fleshed  in 
blood, 

Few  packs  of  fox-hounds  (or  indeed  anything  else)  will 
bear  a  microscopic  scrutiny.  Mr.  Musters'  certainly  will 
not.  The  bitches  are  handsome  and  of  a  good  stamp;  but 
the  dog  hounds  are,  many  of  them,  past  their  prime,  and, 
as  a  pack,  not  so  sightly  as  they  should  be.  A  liberal  draft 
is  wanted,  and  a  larger  supply  of  three  and  four  year  old 
hounds  is  necessary  for  the  work  Mr.  Musters  gives  them. 

Of  condition  I  must  not  say  much.  The  month  of 
March  was  all  against  it;  but  it  improved  during  the  time 
I  was  with  the  hounds.  It  was  evident  the  season's  work 
had  been  too  hard  for  them,  but  their  huntsman  never 
knows  when  to  say  '  enough,'  so  fond  is  he  of  the  sport. 
I  should 'also  observe,  that  some  of  Mr.  Musters' finest 
bitches  were  gone  to  his  seat  in  Nottinghamshire  (where 


56  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

he  has  excellent  walks)  to  whelp.  His  first  whipper-in  I 
found  to  be  my  old  acquaintance,  Tom  Smith,  who  for- 
merly whipped-in  to,  and  afterwards  hunted,  Lord  Mid- 
dleton's  hounds.  Smith  is  a  good  sportsman ;  and  no 
doubt  will  soon  be  a  very  good  one  under  such  a  master. 
He  greatly  prefers  Northamptonshire  to  Warwickshire  for 
hounds.  The  second  whipper-in,  Will  Derry,  is  useful  and 
civil,  and  has  been  two  years  with  Mr.  Musters. 

Mr.  Musters'  kennel  and  stables  are  sufficiently  good. 
His  horses  are  of  a  large  stamp,  \vhich_his  strongly  fenced 
country  requires. 

Of  Mr.. Musters  as  a  rider  little  need  be  said.  He  has 
always  been  considered,  not  only  a  very  elegant  horseman, 
but  capital  over  a  country,  and  has  the  eye  of  a  hawk.  In 
his  saddle  he  is  fifteen  stone  ;  but  he  maintains,  that  weight, 
with  horses  equal  to  it,  is  an  advantage  in  Northampton- 
shire, and  that  no  light  man  can  go  well  over  it.  1  know, 
indeed,  that  the  Tom  Smith  has  been  heard  to  say,  that  he 
goes  over  Leicestershire,  but  through  Northamptonshire — 
alluding  to  the  strength  of  the  fences. 

Among  the  Northamptonshire  riders,  Vere  Isham  (broth- 
er to  Sir  Justinian)  stands  first,  and  with  a  good  or  bad 
horse  under  him  he  is  a  very  clever  fellow.  He  is  not  like 
the  parson  who  could  only  preach  qut  of  his  own  book  ;  or 
like  many  of  our  fine  riders  who  can  go  well  on  fine  hors- 
es ;  but  Vere  Isham — although  a  grandfather — can  ride 
what  others  cannot  ride ;  and  if  he  hears  of  a  horse  that  is 
to  be  sold  because  he  will  not  make  a  hunter,  he  generally 
buys  him — having  got  a  receipt  in  his  stable  that  will  soon 
make  him  one  There  is  not  a  brook  in  Northamptonshire 
that  he  has  not  been  at  the  bottom  of,  nor  are  there  many 
that  he  will  not  ride  at ;  but  he  is  by  no  means  one  of  the 
tumbling  sort-  His  brother  Harry  is  pretty  good,  but  not 
in  the  same  field  with  himself. 

There  is  a  gentleman,  though  not  belonging  to  this 
county,  yet  who  has  hunted  so  much  in  it  that  he  is  quali- 
fied for  a  place  among  the  Northamptonshire  riders,  and 
that  place  has  always  been  a  good  one.  I  allude  to  that 
very  superior  and  most  elegant  horseman,  Mr.  Davey.  Of 
late  years  he  has  been  getting  slack,  and  has  not*been  well 


NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.  57 

horsed  ;  but  for  a  great  many  seasons  no  man -went  better, 
certainly  none  more  neatly,  over  this  rough  country  than 
he  did.  His  hand  is  exquisitely  fine,  and  his  seat  quite 
perfect.  A  curious  accident  occurred  to  him  some  years 
since  in  the  field.  He  was  hunting  with  Sir  Thomas  Mos- 
tyn's  hounds  in  Oxfordshire,  when  he  rode  at  a  fence  near 
to  a  small  cottage,  and  close  to  Swift's  house,  where  Sir 
Thomas  now  resides.  His  horse  fell  with  him,  and  Mr. 
Davey  found  himself  fast,  as  if  he  were  in  a  vice,  and 
without  knowing  why.  At  last  he  perceived  that  the  hind- 
er legs  of  his  horse  had  alighted  on  the  mouth  of  an  old 
well,  the  covering  of  which  his  weight  had  forced  in.  To 
make  my  story  short — Mr.  Davey  had  just  time  (and  he 
did  it  with  great  difficulty)  to  get  disengaged  from  his  sad- 
dle before  his  horse  fell  back  into  the  well  and  was  drowned. 
His  friend  consoled  him  with  saying  it  was  loclldom;  but 
that  was  but  poor  consolation  for  the  loss  of  a  good  hunter, 
though,  to  be  sure,  he  might  have  lost  his  own  life.  His 
situation  was  certainly  a  most  alarming  one,  as  one  of  his 
legs  was  confined  between  the  side  of  his  horse  and  the 
side  of  the  well. 

One  of  the  best  performers  I  saw  in  Northamptonshire 
is  a  fine  young  man  of  the  name  of  Isted,  the  eldest  son  of 
a  gentleman  of  considerable  property  of  that  name,  who 
resides  at  Ecton.  Mr.  Ambrose  Isted  was  born  without 
the  faculty  of  hearing,  therefore  without  the  power  of 
speech  ;  but  he  has  been  taught  to  speak,  and  pronounces 
many  of  his  words  intelligibly  enough.  He  has  also  been 
taught  to  ride  over  a  country,  which  few  can  do  better — 
taking  much  notice  of  hounds,  and  entering  into  the  sport 
with  enthusiastic  delight. 

There  is  another  young  one  who  bids  very  fair  for  a  front 
place  with  hounds,  and  that  is  Mr.  Walley,  son  of  the  Rec- 
tor of  Lcton.  A  Mr.  Parsons  also,  another  young  one,  is 
a  bold  horseman,  and  wants  nothing  but  a  few  year's  expe- 
rience to  ensure  him  a  good  place.  Mr.  Meyrick  has  been 
so  many  seasons  in  Northamptonshire,  that  he  may  be 
reckoned  one  of  them,  and  few  men  are  before  him  in  a 
quick  thing. 

There  is  a  very  sporting  draper  residing  at  Northampton 


58  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

by  the  name  of  Whitworth ;  he  is  a  very  thrusting  rider 
after  hounds. 

The  Northamptonshire  farmers  are  chiefly  men  of  prop- 
erty— the  nature  of  their  occupations  require  them  to  be 
so.  They  almost  all  keep  hunters,  which,  if  they  can't 
ride  themselves,  their  sons  can  ride  for  thjwa.  The  yeoman- 
ry of  the  country  live  in  great  comfort.  Tcalled  upon  one 
of  them — Mr.  Potterton  of  Pitsford — to  see  his  stud.  He 
had  three  clever  hunters  in  his  stable,  and  some  good 
young  stock  in  his  paddock,  bred  from  good  blood.  This 
is  what  we  should  like  to  see  all  England  over. 

To  speak  of  Mr.  Musters  as  a  huntsman,  requires  the 
knowledge  of  a  huntsman,  but  I  must  make  the  attempt; 
therefore  as  old  Corcoran  says,  when  he  comes  to  an  awk- 
ward fence,  '  Go  along  horst.' 

Few  men,  I  believe,  see  less  of  their  hounds  in  kennel 
than  Mr.  Musters  does,  neither  can  I  call  him  a  good  ken- 
nel huntsman.  I  do  not  think  it  is  his  passion.  It  is  in 
the  field  he  shines ;  and  when  I  say  he  is  pre-eminent 
here,  I  only  echo  the  voice  of  Fame.  In  command  of 
hounds,  I  never  saw  him  excelled,  and  he  certainly  handles 
them  with  a  master's  hand.  Every  art  has  its  terms,  and 
his  language  in  the  field  is  particularly  good.  He  'suits 
the  action  to  the  word,  and  the  word  to  the  action,'  with 
the  greatest  possible  effect.  From  temperament  of  consti- 
tution also  he  must  have  been  intended  for  a  huntsman, 
for  he  is  never  fatigued,  but  is  always  cheery;  and  as 
cheerfulness  is  catching,  his  field  generally  seems  cheery 
also.  To  sum  up  all — although  a  gentleman,  he  is  a  hunts- 
man. Nature  has  qualified  him  for  the  task.  When  with 
his  hounds  he  is  in  his  element,  and,  without  this,  it  avails 
nothing ;  for  as  Ion  says, 

'What's  the  gay  Dolphin  when  he  quits  the  waives, 
And  bounds  upon  the  shore?' 

I  now  bring  my  Second  Tour  to  a  close,  with  only  a  few 
words. — A  writer  without  freedom  is  a  writer  without  in- 
terest; but  I  hope  I  have  taken  no  unwarrantable  liberty 
with  any  man's  name.  In  '  this  vale  of  tears,'  we  are  en- 
titled to  snatch  a  pleasure  where  we  can  find  it,  provide^ 


NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.  59 

we  rob  no  one  else  of  the  prize,  and  I  would  not  have  it 
upon  such  terms.  Johnson  said  of  Savage,  that '  he  sel- 
dom found  a  stranger  whom  he  did  not  leave  a  friend ; ' 
but,  not  possessing  the  acquirements  of  Savage,  I  am  in  no 
wise  entitled  to  such  a  compliment.  Thus  much,  however, 
I  am  enabled  to  say  ;  that  during  my  late  Tour,  I  received 
nothing  but  hospitality  and  kindness,  and  every  man  I  met 
appeared  to  be  my  friend.  This  is  the  way  to  pass  one's 
days,  for  '  it  makes  life's  business  like  a  summer's  dream.' 


60 


CONTAINING  ACCOUNTS  OF 

The  Raly  Pack,  the  Lamlton,  the  York  and  Jlinstij,  the  Hur- 
teorth,  the  Holderness,  the  Badsivorth,  fyc.  Sfc. 

UNDER  THE  RESPECTIVE  MANAGEMENT  OF 

THE  EARL  OF  DARLINGTON, 
MR.  RALPH  LAMBTON,        MR.  LLOYD, 

MR.  MATTHEW  WILKINSON, 
MR.  THOMAS  HODGSON  AND  LORD  HAWKE, 

AND    CONCLUDING  WITH 

A   Visit  to  Leicestershire  and  the  New  Forest. 


LAST  winter  Yorkshire  was  fixed  upon,  for  two  reasons  : 
first,  it  was  fresh  ground,  and  therefore  likely  to  produce  a 
'  good  crop  ;  and  secondly,  because  it  is  decidedly  the  most 
sporting  part  of  His  Majesty's  dominions.  One  might 
almost  imagine  there  was  something  in  the  physical  power 
of  the  climate  that  produced  such  a  host  of  sportsmen — 
for  every  man  there  is  one. 

On  the  1st  of  November  1826, 1  started  for  the  North  ; 
halted  that  day  at  Birmingham :  on  the  2nd  reached 
Leeds  ;  and  on  the  3rd  arrived  at  York  at  twelve  o'clock. 

As  was  natural  to  suppose,  I  soon  stumbled  upon  a  man 
I  knew.  This  ended  in  an  invitation  to  dinner,  and  a  very 
pleasant  evening,  but  not  at  my  friend's  house — for  when 
he  got  home,  he  found  an  invitation  from  Mr.  George 
Swann,  and  took  me  under  his  arm!  I  am  not  going  to 
recapitulate  the  scenes  of  the  evening ;  but  as  anecdotes 
form  so  great  a  part  of  my  stock  in  trade,  I  must  bring 
them  to  market  when  opportunities  offer,  and  the  present 


YORKSHIRE.  61 

occasion  furnishes  one.  It  so  happened,  that  on  leaving 
home,  I  found  myself  not  quite  well,  and  took  the  advice  of 
an  eminent  physician  on  the  road.  '  There  is  not  much 
the  matter  with  you,'  said  he ;  '  and  if  you  will  only  drink 
three  glasses  of  wine  a  day  instead  of  a  bottle,  which  you 
fox-hunters  often  do,  and  take  a  little  of  this  medicine, 
you  will  live  to  be  a  hundred.' — '  Your  medicine,  Doctor, 
I  will  take,'  said  I ;  '  but  the  other  part  of  the  prescription 
is  quite  out  of  the  question.'  However,  to  the  point.  On 
the  morning  after  1  dined  with  Mr.  Swann,  I  met  him  at 
the  lodging  of  a  mutual  friend,  where  a  third  person  was 
present,  who  had  dined  with  us  the  day  before.  My  pre- 
scription was  sent  to  the  druggist's,  and  its  contents  read 

over  by   the   party.'     '  Oh,'   said ,  '  it  is 

sure  to  cure  you  :  there  is   no  finer  medicine  in  the  world 
than  cochlearia.'     Now  cochlcaria  happens  to  be  the  Latin1 
for  spoonfuls,  of  which  I  was  to  take  '  duo  largo,   bis  die,' 
or  two  large  ones  twice  a-day. 

I  was  at  this  time  only  two  days  in  York,  but  one  of 
them  being  Sunday,  I  had  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing 
one  of  the  proudest  monuments  of  human  art  and  human 
magnificence,  York  Minister.  By  way  of  a  comparison 
between  the  manners  and  usages  of  society  in  former  and 
present  times,  I  quote  the  following  passage,  which  I  met 
with  in  the  '  Antiquities  of  Yorkshire-.'  Alluding  to  the 
city  of  York — '  Near  to  the  cathedral  is  the  house  where 
the  two  weekly  assemblies  are  held.  These  meetings  are 
great  helps  to  strangers,  who  flock  hither  in  great  numbers 
for  the  convenience  of  boarding,  which  is  very  cheap,  and 
diet  good  ;  for  in  a  week  or  two's  time  they  may,  by  using 
them  (and  none  is  excluded  either  of  them  for  half-a-crown 
a  quarter,)  be  acquainted  with  all  the  genteel  company, 
male  and  female,  in  the  city  and  adjoining  county  of  York. 

In  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Swann  was  kind  enough  to  show 
me  the  York  hounds  and  Mr.  Ridsdale's  stud.  Mr.  Rids- 
dale  is  an  excellent  rider  to  hounds.  I  saw  him  out  one 
day  on  Flaxtonian,  and  thought  he  looked  like  a  work- 
man. He  has  also,  I  understand,  done  some  good  things 
on  the  road  with  his  hacks,  of  which  the  following  may  be 
recorded  as  one. — He  left  London  on  a  Monday,  and  was 
at  York  on  the  following  Wednesday  by  four  o'clock  in  the 

VOL.  n.  6 


62  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

afternoon — one  hundred  and  ninety-six  miles.  The  mare 
rested  the  next  day,  and  on  Friday  he  rode  her  to  Newcas- 
tle— eighty-two  miles;  making  the  average  of  the  days  she 
was  at  work  ninety-two  miles.  Mr.  Ridsdale  resides  at 
Murton,  three  miles  from  York,  where  he  has  built  a  house 
Hud  as  complete  a  range  of  Stahles  as  human  ingenuity 
can  effect,  or  the  health  and  comfort  of  horses  require. — 
He  has  also  some  capital  paddocks,  and  is  breeding  thor- 
ough-bred ones  on  an  extensive  scale. 

As  Mr.  Ridsdale  was  in  London,  we  merely  walked 
through  his  stables  and  looked  at  his  hunters,  which  con- 
sisted of  seven.  They  were  all  thorough-bred,  and  in  ex- 
cellent form  to  cary  his  weight — about  twelve  stone. 

Mr.  Swann  then  took  me  to  the  kennel  of  the  York  and 
Ainsty  fox-hounds,  situated  a  mile  from  York,  and  near  to 
Knavesmire,  the  race-course.  As  might  be  expected  from 
the  resources  of  a  subscription  pack,  this  kennel  has  noth- 
ing to  boast  of  beyond  the  necessary  conveniences  for  a 
small  pack  of  fox-hounds  ;  but  it  appeared  clean  and 
wholesome,  and  free  from  epidemic  disease.  There  is 
one  part  of  it  which  was  new  to  me ;  but  the  plan  is  a 
good  one,  and  I  found  it  generally  adopted  in  the  kennels 
in  the  North  :  the  upper  half  of  all  the  inner  walls  are 
built  in  open  brick  work,  which  gives  free  circulation  of 
air,  and  doubtless  prevents  disease. 

In  Naylor,  the  huntsman  to  the  York  and  Ainsty,  I  rec- 
ognized an  old  acquaintance.  I  knew  him  when  he  whtp- 
ped-iri  to  Sir  Thomas  \tostyn  in  Oxfordshire,  but  thai  was 
in  his  early  days.  He  has  been  six  years  huntsman  to  the 
York  and  Ainsty,  in  vvhich  capacity — as  far  as  relates  to 
the  operations  in  the  field — I  refrain  from  speaking  of  him 
at  present.  I  never,  however,  withheld  praise  where  it  is 
justly  due,  and  in  kennel  superiority  Naylor  stands  high. 
i  considered  his  hounds  looking  in  splendid  condition  ;  and 
by  the  great  pains  I  observed  he  took  in  feeding  them  in 
small  lots,  it  is  evident  he  plumes  himself  on  excelling  in 
this  most  essential  point. 

I  think  the  York  and  Ainsty  hounds,  as  a  pack,  partic- 
ularly clever,  and  possessing,  individually,  as  great  a  share 
of  beauty  as  is  to  be  found  in  most  kennels.  They  have 
size,  power,  and  size  and  power  without  lumber  or  incum- 


YORKSHIRE.  63 

brance,  which,  as  far  as  the  eye  carries  us  in  a  kennel,  is 
ajl  we  can  desire  to  see.  I  thought  Boisterous  (by  Lord 
Darlington's  Brusher  out  of  their  Countess,  the  old  Pytch- 
ley  sort,)  Jollity,  Pillager,  and  Charity,  among  the  old 
hounds,  very  fine  samples  ;  a  three-year-old  bitch,  Pastime, 
very  clever  indeed  ;  and  the  Splendor  hounds,  out  of 
Countess,  Mischief,  and  Toilet,  in  very  fine  form.  I  also 
noticed  Tuneful,  by  Lord  Lonsdale's  Roman  out  of  the 
Ba<Tsvvorth  Tempest — a  very  promising  young  one. 

The  subscription  to  the  York  hounds  is  limited,  not  ex- 
ceeding 1300/.  per  annum,  and  is  chiefly  raised  by  the 
resident  gentlemen  of  the  city  of  York,  although  at  the 
commencement  of  the  last  season  Sir  Bellingham  Graham 
became  an  annual  subscriber  of  one  hundred  pounds. 
The  management  of  the  establishment  is  left  to  a  gentle- 
man by  the  name  of  Lloyd,  who  resides  at  Acomb,  two 
miles  from  the  city,  and  he  has  had  it  six  years.  He  i.s 
considered  a  fair  sportsman,  and  universally  commended 
for  his  mild  and  unassuming  manners;  and  there  was  a 
time  when  few  men  could  have  beaten  him  over  York- 
shire. He  now,  however,  rides  well  up  to  his  hounds, 
although  between  fifteen  and  sixteen  stone  on  his  horse. 
Previous  to  Mr.  Lloyd,  Mr.  Robert  Challoner  and  Mr.  J. 
W.  dough  were  at  the  head  of  these  hounds,  during 
which  time  they  were  hunted  for  one  season  by  Mr. 
George  Treacher. 

As  far  as  I  can  recollect  the  following  is  the  history  of 
this  country.  It  had  once  been  hunted  by  Colonel  Thorn- 
ton, of  Thornville  Royal,  and  then  laid  vacant  for  some 
time.  It  was  afterwards  occasionally  occupied  by  Lord 
Harewood,  Sir  Tatton  Sykes,  Lord  Darlington,  and  also 
by  the  late  Mr.  Lane  Fox,  of  Bramham  Park  ;  but  the  first 
to  establish  the  York  and  Ainsty  hounds  was  the  Honora- 
ble Captain  Butler,  who  started  them  about  ten  years  ago, 
and  had  his  kennel  at  Newmonkton,  where  he  now  resides. 
The  country  is  not.  only  extensive,  but  wide,  which  obliges 
the  hounds  and  horses  to  lie  from  home  two  or  three  days 
a  fortnight,  which  is  against  them  ;  and  it  is  also  intermix 
ed  with  Sir"  Tatton  Sykes's  and  Lord  Harewood's  coun 
tries,  for  which  reason  the  York  and  Ainsty  and  the  latte 
pack  always  hunt  alternate  days. 


64  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

From  what  I  saw  of  the  York  and  Ainsty,  I  considered 
it  favorable  to  hounds  but  unfavorable  to  horses,  on  the  ac- 
count of  the  wet,  and  in  many  places  boggy,  state  of  the 
land,  in  addition  to  its  being  nine-tenths  ploughed.  In 
another  respect  also  it  is  unfavorable  to  horses  :  it  is  so 
very  flat  that  hounds  are  lost  sight  of  if  suffered  to  get  two 
fields  a-head  ;  so  there  is  no  riding  to  points,  as  in  most 
other  provincial  countries.  The  fences — the  common 
hedge  and  ditch,  not  often  bound — though  they  occur  fre- 
quently, are  not  difficult;  but  a  brook-jumper  is  often 
wanted,  as  in  parts  there  are  many  wide  drains.  Few  of 
the  gates  in  the  North  are  practicable,  as  they  far  exceed 
the  usual  height.  The  stiles  also,  particularly  in  Durham, 
were  quite  new  to  me.  They  are  formed  by  two  posts, 
about  four  feet  high,  placed  in  the  form  of  a  V,  and  so 
narrow  that  a  well-fed  Alderman  could  not,  I  should  im- 
agine, pass  through  them.  Some  of  the  horses  of  the 
country,  however,  will  either  walk  into  or  jump  over  them  ; 
but  a  mistake  at  them  would  be  awful,  as  they  would  be 
certain  to  hold  them  fast.  I  purpose  giving  in  another 
place  some  notice  of  the  men  who  hunt,  and  the  gentle- 
men who  ride  to  the  hounds. 

It  was  my  good  fortune,  previous  to  my  departure  from 
home,  to  receive  an  injunction  from  Sir  Bellingham  Gra- 
ham against  going  to  an  inn  in  Yorkshire  whenever  the 
scene  of  action  lay  with  any  feasible  distance  of  either  of 
his  houses — Whitwell  or  Norton  Conyers. 

Sir  Bellingham  Graham  was  at  this  time  residing  at 
Whitwell,  where  I  arrived  on  Sunday  to  dinner.  His  house 
is  situated  on  the  left  of  the  village  (all  his  own,)  and  dur- 
ing his  nine  years'  absence  from  Yorkshire  in  the  service 
of  fox-hunting,  was  let  to  tenants,  but  has  lately  been 
painted  and  furnished  by  the  Baronet,  and  made  in  every 
respect  comfortable.  It  is  beautifully  situated,  twelve  miles 
from  York  on  the  Scarborough  road,  and,  standing  on  an 
eminence,  commands  the  whole  vale  between  itself  and 
York — at  the  end  of  which  is  distinctly  seen  the  noble 
Minster. 

In  the  winter  months  Sir  Bellingham's  residence  is  reg- 
ulated by  Lord  Darlington's  hounds.  When  they  are  in 
the  Bedale  country,  he  migrates  to  Norton  Conyers ;  and 


YORKSHIRE.  05 

•when  they  return  to  Raby,  he  returns  to  Whitwell,  where 
he  has  Sir  Tatton  Sykes  and  the  York. 

On  Wednesday  the  8th  I  made  my  first  appearance  with 
hounds  in  Yorkshire.  Sir  Bellingham  accompanied  me  to 
meet  Sir  Tatton  Sykes'  pack  at  Galley  Gap,  about  four 
miles  from  Whitwell,  and  not  so  much  from  the  kennel. 
The  place  appeared  to  me  more  adapted  for  a  pic-nic  party 
of  pleasure  on  a  summer's  evening  than  a  fixture  for  fox- 
hounds ;  at  all  events  it  had  a  very  provincial  appearance. 
The  road  to  it  led  through  most  picturesque  scenery,  much 
resembling  parts  of  North  Wales.  The  coverts  we  drew 
hung  over  the  banks  of  the  Derwent  river,  which  ran  over 
its  rocky  bed  with  great  rapidity,  and  our  fox  sought  his 
safety  by  crossing  it  about  midway  between  two  bridges. 
The  huntsman,  one  whipper-in,  and  one  gentleman,  were 
the  only  three  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  go  to  the  right 
bridge  ;  and  all  the  rest  of  the  field  had  a  gallop  of  some 
miles  on  a  road  for  nothing.  The  hounds  ran  their  fox 
hard  to  a  covert  within  four  or  five  miles  of  York,  when 
he  turned  back  and  was  lost. 

Friday  the  10th  met  Sir  Tatton  at  Castle  Howard,  the 
seat  of  the  Earl  of  Carlisle.  Sport  here  with  a  pack  of 
fox- hounds  is  never,  I  should  think,  looked  for,  therefore  no 
disappointment  can  arise.  However,  we  had  a  pleasant 
morning's  ride,  and  saw  the  fine  domain — the  residence  ol 
4  the  blood  of  all  the  Howards.'  We  also  saw  Wigginthorpe, 
the  residence  of  Mr,  Garforth,  so  well  known  on  the  turf 
as  the  breeder  of  the  celebrated  mare  Marcia,  and  the  ap- 
pearance of  his  numerous  paddocks  denoted  the  nature  of 
his  pursuits.  I  saw  nothing  of  Mr.  Garforth,  for  he  is  no 
fox-hunter,  and  lives  rather  a  secluded  life  ;  but  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  being  acquainted  with  his  nephew,  who  gener- 
ally resided  with  Lord  Middleton  in  Warwickshire  when 
he  hunted  that  country,  and  where  he  (Mr.  G.)  left  a  good 
name  behind  him. 

The  country  occupied  by  Sir  Tatton  Sykes  has  been  in 
many  hands — having  been  hunted  by  the  late  Lord  Carlisle, 
Mr.  Osbaldeston,  Lord  Middleton,  Mr.  Duncombe,  now 
Lord  Feversham,  Mr.  Digby  Legard,  and  then  by  Sir  Mark 
Sykes  (jointly  with  his  brother  Sir  Tatton,)  who  had  it  fif- 
teen years ;  and  Sir  Tatton  succeeded  to  it  at  his  decease, 

VOL.   II.  G* 


66  MMROD'S  HUNTING  TOCR. 

During  a  great  part  of  this  time  the  hounds  were  hunted 
by  Carter,  assisted  by  his  two  sons,  Tom  and  Will — the 
former  huntsman,  and  the  latter  first  whip.  Old  Carter 
was  a  pupil  of  the  renowned  Meynell,  and  also  lived  with 
Lord  Middleton.  He  was  out  at  Castle  Howard,  and  I  wa.-< 
much  pleased  with  his  venerable  appearance — his  grey 
locks  denoting  many  years'  experience  in  his  profession.  I 
was  given  to  understand,  however,  he  was  not  without  his 
peculiarities  and  prejudices,  one  of  which  was  he  never 
carried  a  hunting  horn. 

Previous  to  last  year,  Sir  Tatton  Sykes  resided  at  Wes- 
tow,  about  four  miles  from  Whitfield,  where  he  occupied  a 
large  farm,  and  where  he  had  his  paddocks  for  breeding 
race-horses.  He  is  now  removed  to  the  family  mansion  at 
Sledmere  (no  great  distance  from  Malton;)  but  the  kennel 
is  where  it  always  has  been — at  Eddlesthorpe,  not  far  from 
Westow.  Sledmere  is  fifteen  miles  from  the  kennel  ;  but 
Sir  Tatton,  on  his  thorough-bred  hacks,  thinks  nothing  of 
this,  and  very  frequently  rides  thither  before  the  hounds 
leave  it  on  hunting  mornings.  His  hounds  hunted  four 
days  a  week  the  season  before  last,  but  only  three  last. 
He  has  no  subscription. 

Sir  Tatton  Sykes  comes  under  the  denomination  of  what 
is  called  '  a  character  ; '  and  one  of  his  chief  characteris- 
tics is  to  be  found  in  his  passion  for  riding  a  race,  his 
method  of  travelling  across  a  country,  the  plainness  of  his 
dress,  and  the  outward  humility  of  his  demeanor  towards 
all  ranks. 

A  poet  calls' Humility  '  that  low  sweet  root  from  which 
all  heavenly  virtues  shoot ; '  but  m  my  opinion,  it  is  not 
always  free  from  suspicion. 

'There  are  some  that  use 

Humility  to  serve  their  priile,  and  seem 
Humble  upon  their  way.  to  be  the  prouder 
At  their  wished  journey's  end.' 

This,  however,  I  am  sure  cannot  be  applied  to  Sir  Tat- 
ton Sykes.  It  is  quite  evident  to  any  common  observer, 
that  the  quiet  and  unassuming  manner  in  which  he  carries 
himself  to  the  world  is  one  of  the  component  parts  of  his 
nature ;  and  those  who  know  him  can  testify  that  no  man 
is  more  at  variance  with  affectation  or  art. 


YORKSHIRE.  67 

* 

Sir  Tatton's  method  of  travelling  across  country  betrays 
a  strength  of  constitution  and  hardihood  of  frame,  not  only 
enviable,  but  characteristic,  I  believe,  of  his  countrymen. 
If  asked  to  go  a  hundred  miles  to  ride  a  race,  he  puts  a1 
clean  shirt  in  his  pocket,  his  racing  jacket  under  his  waist- 
coat, a  pair  of  over-alls  above  his  leathers,  and,  jumping 
upon  some  thorough-bred  tit,  arrives  there  the  next  day  by 
the  time  of  starting,  and,  when  the  race  is  over,  canters 
his  thorough-bred  home  again.  I  cannot  exactly  determine 
the  value  Sir  Tatton  puts  upon  riding  a  winning  race,  for  a 
friend  ;  but  if  I  am  to  judge  from  what  escaped  him  after 
winning  the  Bosworth,  with  Gossoon,  at  Lichfield,  all  the 
pleasures  we  are  taught  to  anticipate  from  the  realms  above 
fall  far  short  of  the  mark. 

As  a  gentleman-jockey,  Sir  Tatton  has  long  been  in  re- 
pute. He  is  very  powerful  in  the  saddle,  and  never  loses 
his  head. 

I  was  very  much  pleased  with  sir  Tatton's  hounds. 
They  show  a  great  deal  of  breeding,  are  fast,  but  very 
close  workers,  of  a  most  desirable  size,  and  quite  the  sort 
of  hounds  for  Leicestershire,  although  there  are  too  many 
old  ones  at  present  in  the  kennel  to  suit  that  country. 

Sir  Tatton's  men  are  very  capitally  mounted,  chiefly  on 
thorough-breds,  which  indeed  they  ought  to  be  to  follow 
their  hounds  over  the  Yorkshire  wolds,  which  generally 
hold  a  good  scent,  and  great  part  of  their  country  is  of  that 
description.  These  wolds  are  of  great  extent,  enclosed 
and  cultivated  after  the  manner  of  our  Oxfordshire  and 
Gloucestershire  hills,  an;l  much  the  same  to  ride  over,  but 
the  soil  is  deeper,  and  therefore  more  severe  for  horses. 
The  fences  are"  chiefly  quick,  and  post  and  rails  are  numer- 
ous in  some  parts. 

Sir  Tatton's  hounds  had  a  very  fine  run  this  season 
from  Sir  Francis  Boynton's  coverts;  but  I  was  told  it  was 
not  so  decidedly  good  as  one  he  had  on  the  8th  November, 
1823,  from  Givendale  Warren,  when,  after  a  run  over  the 
wolds  of  one  hour  and  twenty  minutes  without  a  check,  the 
fox  was  killed  in  the  presence  of  only  Tom  Carter  on  his 
\Vhitelock  mare,  and  Major  Healey  on  Hardbargain. 

Saturday  the  llth,  met  the  York  and  Ainsty  at  Hulby, 
eight  miles  from  York  in  the  direction  of  Boroughbridge. 


>  * 

68  NI.MROD  S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

f 

Unfortunately  we  had  no  sport.  Our  first  fox  was  lost  by 
the  ignorance  of  the  second  whipper-in,  who  never  attempt- 
ed to  turn  the  hounds,  which  ran  over  three  fields  with 
their  heads  up — the  fox  having  turned  short  back.  •  He 
was  also  ably  seconded  by  a  well-mounted  gentlemen  in 
scarlet,  who  was  of  course  equally  at  sea.  The  hounds  be- 
ing disappointed,  and  the  scent  bad,  they  did  not  settle 
again,  and  we  lost  him.  After  chopping  another,  we  found 
again  in  Oldwork  Wood,  but  the  scent  got  worse  and  worse. 
I  viewed  the  fox  across  a  field  about  ten  minutes  after  we 
found,  and  although  the  hounds  came  to  halloo  immediate- 
ly, only  one  of  them  (Remus)  could  speak  to  it.  This 
country  was  close,  and  some  of  it  loose  in  the  soil,  and  not 
looking  favorable  for  scent ;  but,  taken  altogether,  I  did 
not  dislike  it ;  and  I  thought  that  part  of  it  which  I  had 
ridden  across  on  my  road  to  covert  was  capable  of  showing 
a  fine  run. 

Sir  Bellingham  did  not  accompany  me  this  day  to  the  York 
hounds,  for  two  reasons  :  first,  himself  and  his  establish- 
ment were  on  the  move  to  Norton  Conyers ;  and  secondly, 
he  was  unwell.  On  my  arrival  there,  I  found  him  in  pos- 
session of  a  stud  of  hunters  ;  and  my  own  horses  safely  ar- 
rived, and  most  comfortably  quartered  in  one  of  his  five- 
stall  stables. 

As  may  be  natural  to  suppose,  the  great  attractions  to 
my  eye  in  my  visit  to  the  North  were  the  earl  of  Darling- 
ton's and  Mr.  Ralph  Lambton's  fox-hounds.  The  rank  of 
the  former1 — the  splendor  of  his  establishment— the  char- 
acter I  had  heard  of  him — all  had  some  share  in  exciting 
my  curiosity;  but  these  were  of  comparative  insignificance 
to  the  extraordinary  fact  of  his  having  hunted  his  own 
hounds  thirty-six  seasons;  and  not  hunting  them  only,  but 
going  through  all  the  drudgery  of  a  huntsman,  by  constant- 
ly drafting  and  feeding  them  in  the  season,  and  paving  the 
most  minute  attention  to  all  the  operations  of  the  kennel. 

Although  his  inferior  in  rank,  in  the  same  field  with  his 
Lordship  as  a  sportsman  is  that  idol  of  his  circle,  Mr. 
Ralph  Lambton,  who  has  kept  and  hunted  the  Lambtou 
hounds  thirty-five  seasons — his  elder  brother  having  kept 
them  seven  years  before. 

Lord  Darlington's  hounds  met  on   Monday  the  13th  at 


YORKSHIRE.  01) 

York  Gate,  on  the  London  and  Glasgow  road,  three  miles 
from  Sir  Bellingham's  house.  As  is  ahvays  the  case  when 
the  fixture  is  so  near,  we  had  not  a  minute  to  spare,  and 
just  got  to  the  place  as  Lord  Darlington  drove  up  in  his 
carriage,  with  Lady  Arabella  Vane,  his  youngest  daughter, 
for  whose  riding'  a  most  splendid  horse  was  in  waiting. 
Lady  Arabella  was  attired  in  her  scarlet  habit,  and  his 
Lordship  in  a  straight-cut  scarlet  coat,  with  an  embroidered 
fox  on  the  collar,  a  hat,  and  a  leather  girdle  across  his 
shoulder.  His  two  whippers  in  were  also  in  hats,  and  had 
the  embroidered  fox  on  the  collar.* 

Setting  aside  the  attractions  I  have  already  enumerated, 
losing  sight  of  his  rank  and  other  adventitipus  circumstan- 
ces, I  met  Lord  Darlington  greatly  prepossessed  in  his  fa- 
vor, '/have  known  Lord  Darlington,' said  Sir  Belling- 
ham,  over  our  claret  on  the  evening  preceding, '  from  Tny 
earliest  years,  and  have  a  very  great  regard  for  him.  There 
is  one  thing — his  passion  for  fox-hunting — we  must  all  es- 
teem him  for;  and,  when  we  go  to  visit  him,  I  think  you 
will  find  him  a  most  excellent  companion,  and  one  of  the 
best  bred  men  in  the  world.' 

During  Sir  Bellingham  Graham's  absence  from  York- 
shire, he  had  not  been  unmndful  of  his  countrymen,  and 
the  foxes  on  his  property  had  been  well  preserved.  We 
drew  a  beautiful  whin  of  his  this  day  (in  the  North  '  gorse' 
is  termed  '  whin.')  of  ten  acres,  just  then  in  its  prime. 
After  working  at  him  for  thirty-five  minutes,  a  fine  young 
fox  was  killed  ;  and  when  the  hounds  had  eaten  him,  and 
he  had  taken  them  a  little  turn  to  recover  their  wind,  his 
Lordship  put  them  into  the  whin  again.  Another  fox  went 
gallantly  away  over  a  very  pretty  country ;  but  being  so 
unfortunate  as  to  change  in  one  of  Sir  Bellingham's  woods, 
where  our  hunted  fox  was  headed,  the  fresh  fox  took  a  worse 
line,  and  went  to  ground  in  Tanfield  Park.  However,  we 
had  an  hour  and  five  minutes,  and  marked  our  fox;  so 
there  was  no  reason  to  complain.  I  made  an  observation, 
that  t  never  saw  any  hounds  draw  strong  gorse  as  Lord 

*In  the  well-known  print  of  the  Earl  of  Darlington  and  his 
fox-hounds,  his  Lordship  appears  in  a  cap,  which  himself  and 
his  men  for  many  years  rode  in,  but  at  present  they  all  wear 
hats. 


70  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOOK. 

Darlington's  did  on  this  day,  and  indeed  it  was  the  same 
throughout  the  season.  But  it  is  their  trade  ;  they  have 
scarcely  any  other  coverts  to  draw  ;  and  they  are  almost  al- 
ways sure  of  a  fox — a  grand  security  against  slack  draw- 
ing. 

When  the  hounds  were  first  thrown  into  Sir  Bellingham's 
whin,  I  observed  the  Baronet  getting  rather  fidgetty  at 
their  not  finding  immediate!  y-^-it  being  the  first  time  any 
covert  of  his  had  been  tried  since  his  return  to  Yorkshire  ; 
and  he  afterwards  told  me,  that,  if  there  had  not  been  a 
brace  of  foxes  in  it,  he  should  have  instantly  discharged 
his  keepers;  but,  fortunately  for  them,  it  held  a  leash. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  our  second  fox  this  day 
tried  ths  earths  under  the  kennel  at  Norton  Conyers,  which 
earths  were  constantly  used  when  Sir  Bellingham  hunted 
the  Badsvvorth  country,  and  kept  his  hounds  in  it  during 
the  summer  months. 

On  the  day  I  have  been  speaking  of,  the  hounds  crossed 
the  river  Ure,  in  which  a  gentleman  farmer  was  drowned 
two  years  ago  whilst  hunting  with  Lord  Darlington's  hounds 
on  the  same  day  on  which  two  other  sportsmen  lost  their 
lives,  in  a  similar  manner  with  other  packs.  The  person 
I  am  alluding  to  was  mounted  on  the  tallest  horse  in  the 
field,  and  was  a  good  swimmer ;  so  it  is  supposed  his  head 
turned  giddy,  and  he  fell  off  his  horse  perhaps  in  a  fit. — 
We  crossed  this  river  another  day  when  it  was  neither  so 
deep  nor  so  rapid,  but,  owing  to  being  obliged  to  look  at 
the  water  to  avoid  the  large  stones  at  the  bottom  of  it,  it 
made  me  very  giddy.  There  are  smelts  and  graylings  in 
this  stream,  which  is  a  very  handsome  one,  though  very 
injurious,  by  its  extreme  rapidity,  to  the  country  through 
which  it  passes.  But  Yorkshire  is  '  a  land  of  brooks  of 
water,  of  fountains,  and  depths  that  spring  out  of  valleys 
and  hills;'  and,  to  continue  the  simile,  it  might  once  have 
been  said  of  it,  that  it  was  '  a  land  wherein  thou  shalt  eat 
bread  without  scarceness  ;  thou  shalt  not  lack  anything  in 
it ;  a  land  whose  stones  are  iron,  and  out  of  whose  hills 
thou  mayest  dig  brass.' 

The  Saturday  previous  to  my  meeting  Lord  Darlington's 
hounds  ar  York  Gate,  rather  a  singular  circumstance  oc- 
curred. The  pack  divided,  and  at  the  end  of  half  an 


YORKSHIRE.  71 

hour,  eleven  couples  of  them  ran  in  to  their  fox,  with  only 
two'couple  and  a  half  of  entered  hounds  among  them,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  pack  killed  theirs. 

Wednesday,  15th. — Met  Lord  Darlington  at  Tanfield 
bridge,  and  had  a  very  hard  day  for  hounds,  though  never 
two  fields  out  of  covert.  1  had  this  day — not  much  in  fa- 
vor of  sport  with  fox-hounds — an  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  magnificent  scenery  of  Hackfall,  another  pic-nic  place, 
where  there  is  the  grandest  waterfall  in  England.  The 
morning  was  wasted  in  rattling  these  coverts,  as  well  as 
those  of  Mr.  Staveley,  of  Slemford,  and  all  the  field,  ex- 
cept Lord  Darlington,  Sir  Bellingham  Graham,  Hon.  Cap- 
tain Paulet,  Mr.  Wharton,  Colonel  Ellice,  Mr.  Anderson, 
myself,  and  the  servants,  were  gone  home.  At  half  past 
three  o'clock,  as  Lord  Darlington  was  getting  his  hounds 
out  of  covert,  Sir  Bellingham  addressed  him  thus  : — '  Well, 
my  Lord,  I  think  it  is  time  to  go  home,  and  your  road  is 
my  road.' — '  My  road,1  said  his  Lordship,  '  is  through  that 
wood ;'  pointing  to  Heslett  Wood,  two  miles  in  nearly  a 
contrary  direction.  To  Heslett  Wood  we  went,  and  away 
went  a  fox.  Hounds  never  went  faster  than  these  did  fur 
twenty-five  minutes,  when  they  came  to  the  first  check. — 
Sir  Bellingham  had  sent  his  first  horse  home,  and  was  up- 
on a  five  year  old,  in  little  hetter  than  dealer's  condition,  so 
he  prudently  pulled  up  at  the  check ;  but  as  far  as  he  did 
go  he  went  well.  '  1  shall  melt  his  grease,'*  said  he  to 
me.  '  That  you  certainly  will,'  replied  I ;  for  he  was  then 
as  white  as  a  sheet.  To  make  short  of  my  story,  we  ran 
this  fox — sometimes  chasing,  sometimes  hunting,  as  the 
nature  of  the  soil  admitted — for  one  hour  and  twenty-two 
minutes,  and  the  last  twenty  minutes  in  the  dark,  or  we 
should  certainly  have  tasted  him.  '  We  want  the  lamps 
lit,'  said  I  to  his  Lordship,  as  he  was  cramming  his  mare 
at  a  fence  without  knowing  which  side  the  ditch  was,  and 
without  seeing  a  gate  which  I  espied  in  the  corner.  '  I 
think  we  do,'  said  this  veteran  sportsman  ;  but  he  disdain- 
ed leaving  his  line  for  the  gate.  I  saw  the  place  after- 
wards, and  it  was  an  ugly  drop  into  a  turnpike  road, — 

*  '  A  burnt  child  dreads  the  fire,'     This  has  happened  to  Sir 
B.  more  than  once. 


72  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Soon  after  this  we  stopped  the  hounds,  just  as  they  were 
getting  into  Snape  Park. 

I  dined  this  day  at  Newton  House,  situated  at  the  two 
hundred  and  twentieth  mile-stone  on  the  London  and  Glas- 
gow road,  close  to  the  village  of  Londonderry,  and  in  that 
part  of  the  road  known  by  the  name  of  Leeming  Lane. 
When  first  Lord  Darlington  inhabited  it,  it  was  upon  quite 
a  small  scale,  and  abounded  with  inconveniences,  which 
nothing  but  fox-hunting  could  have  reconciled  a  Nobleman 
with  his  means  to  have  put  up  with.  In  consequence  how- 
ever, of  an  accident,  occasioned  by  the  falling  of  a  stack  of 
chimneys  in  a  very  tempestuous  night,  about  five  years 
back,  it  was  razed  to  the  ground,  and  rebuilt  by  his  Lord- 
ship on  a  very  considerable  scale.  The  kennel  and  sta- 
bles are  close  to  the  .house,  and  the  whole  is  shut  out  from 
the  road  by  a  very  high  wall.  The  house  possesses  every 
convenience  as  well  as  comfort,  and  is  the  most  complete 
hunting  box  in  England,  perhaps  in  any  other  country; 
and  here  Lord  Darlington  says  he  spends  the  happiest  days 
of  the  year.  The  stables  and  offices  for  the  servants  are 
quite  perfect  of  their  kind,  as  also  is  the  kennel.  This 
place,  with  a  pretty  estate  around  it,  abounding  with  pheas- 
ants and  fox  coverts,  both  most  strictly  preserved  by  her 
Ladyship,  is  the  property  of  the  Countess  of  Darlington. 

It  is  not  often  that  a  wrinkle  is  to  be  given  to  masters  of 
fox-hounds,  but  the  kennel  at  Newton  House,  I  think,  af- 
fords one.  There  is  a  passage  leading  from  the  feeding  to 
the  lodging  room  which  is  made  to  hold  water,  about  six 
inches  deep  on  the  level.  This,  on  hunting  days,  is  filled 
with  broth  from  the  copper,  and  hounds  pass  through  it  in 
the  evening,  after  they  have  been  fed.  The  consequence 
is  they  lick  their  feet  dry;  and  the  healing  properties  of  a 
dog's  tongue  to  a 'sore  are  very  well  established. 

Perhaps  I  cannot  do  better  than  here  give  a  brief  ac- 
count of  the  Earl  of  Darlington  as  a  sportsman.  To  the 
title  of  sportsman  who  can  have  a  better  claim  1  It  is  as 
legitimate  as  his  Earldom,  and  we  must  pay  reverence  to 
his  name. 

I  have  already  said,  that  Lord  Darlington  has  kept  fox- 
hounds, and  has  hunted  them  himself,  for  thirty-six  years ; 
and  it  is  positively  asserted,  that,  unless  prevented  by  ill- 


YORKSHIRE.  73 

ness — an  unusual  occurrence  with  him — or  a  call  of  the 
House  of  Lords  on  some  important  occasion,  he  has  only 
been  absent  from  them  in  the  field  three  times  in  that  num- 
ber of  years.  Neither  does  he  on  this  account — fond  as  he 
is  of  racing — ever  attend  the  Newmarket  October  Meetings. 
A  pleasing  recreation,  they  say,  is  no  task  ;  but  if  proof 
were  wanting  of  his  extreme  attention  to  his  duty,  it  will  be 
had  in  the  first  page  of  his  book,  called  '  Operations  of  tht 
Raby  Pack,'  published  every  year,  in  which  it  will  be  found 
that  he  goes  through  all  the  drudgery  of  cub-hunting — as 
the  old  song  says — 'sleep  and  a  downy  bed  scorning.'  As 
a  specimen,  I  will  transcribe  the  two  first  hunting  days  of 
the  season  before  last. 

'  Wednesday,  August  3 1st. — At  seven  o'clock,  I  tried  La- 
dy Wood,  and  only  found  one  fox,  andsoon  lost  him.  Found 
again  in'the  whin,  ran  to  the  wood,  and  soon  killed  a  cub 
bitch  fox.  Very  hot  dry  morning.  Had  twelve  couples  of 
young  hounds,  eight  couples  of  the  two-year-olds,  and  ten 
and  a  half  of  the  oldest  hounds;  in  all  thirty  couples  and  a 
half.  Rode  Sir  Harry;  Dick,  Panegyric;  Will,  Ravens- 
wood  :  and  George,  Bosphorus.'  Proh  pudor !  my 
Lord,  to  put  a  whipper-in  upon  Panegyric  in  such  weather 
as  this  ! 

'  Thursday,  September  1st. — At  seven  o'clock  I  tried 
Schoolhouse  whin  plantation  blank ;  and  then  Henderson's, 
where  I  found  a  litter  of  cubs,  and  again  found  in  Parna- 
by's,  and  in  the  kennel  whin,  but  could  not  run  one  yard, 
nor  catch  a  fox,  from  the  extreme  heat  and  blazing  sun. 
Had  fourteen  couples  and  a  half  of  young,  sixteen  couples 
and  a  half  of  the  three,  four,  and  five  years  old  hounds  out. 
Rode  Sir  Harry;  Dick,  Swing;  Will,  Obadiah;  , and 
George,  Salopian.' 

In  the  same  style — marking  every  occurrence  of  the  day 
— often  with  much  humor,  but  always  with  abundance  of 
zeal,  does  this  amusing  record  proceed,  and  upon  no  occa- 
sion— no  not  after  the  merriest  evening  he  ever  passed — 
would  his  Lordship  retire  to  rest  until  this  task  were  execu- 
ted. There  is  a  precedent  for  everything.  It  was  a  sacred 
rule  amongst  a  heathen  nation,  that  they  should  every  CT- 
ening  run  over  the  actions  and  affairs  of  the  day,  and  doubt- 
less the  practice  turned  to  their  account. 

VOL.    II.  7 


74  MM  HOD'S    HUNTING    TOUR. 

Lord  Darlington's  rank  and  fortune  having  placed  him 
on  the  summit  of  human  life,  if  money  can  contribute  to 
the  pleasures  of  the  day,  that  one  thing  needful  can  never 
he  wanting.  It  would  not  be  much  then  to  say  of  him,  that, 
in  point  of  expense  and  splendor  of  establishment  in  his 
kennels  and  stables,  he  stands  first  on  the  roll  of  masters  of 
fox-hounds,  keeping  them  upon  their  own  resources.  1 
should  be  inclined  to  say  he  did  stand  first;  but  perhaps 
his  expenditure  may  be  exceeded  by  that  of  the  Q.uorn 
country. 

Everything  with  Lord  Darlington  is  managed  with  order 
and  method.  He  has  a  weekly  state  of  his  coverts  regular- 
ly brought  to  him — specifying  what  had  been  done  to  each 
covert,  or  the  fences  round  it,  and  also  what  is  required 
to  be  done ;  and  some  estimate  may  be  made  of  the 
expense  he  is  at  in  preserving  foxes,  by  the  single  fact  c 
his  paying  340Z.  a-yearto  his  own  tenants  in  the  Raby  coun- 
try for  rent  of  coverts  north  of  the  river  Tees. 

Exclusively  of  advertising  his  fixtures  in  the  several 
newspapers,  Lord  Darlington  sends  private  cards  to  several 
of  his  Hunt,  and  he  always  fixes  four  days  a-week,  unless 
when  he  is  obliged  to  attend  the  House  of  Lords,  when 
they  are  reduced  to  three.  In  one  respect  his  hounds  have 
an  advantage,  and  himself  must  also  feel  it.  Both  his  ken- 
nels are  in  the  centre  of  his  Hunts,  and  therefore  they  have 
not  long  distances  to  covert. 

Lord  Darlington's  hounds  are  divided  into  two  packs — 
one  called  the  young,  and  the  other  the  old  pack,  although 
of  course  there  are  some  old  hounds  in  the  former.  His 
Lordship  is  fond  of  large  hounds,  and  he  has  succeeded  in 
breeding  them  quite  to  the  top  of  the  standard — bigger  in- 
deed, on  his  own  admission,  than  his  country  requires*. 
Their  speed,  however,  with  ascent  is  quite  proportionate  to 
their  size,  and  when  brought  to  hunting,  fastidious  must  be 
the  man  who  finds  fault  with  them.  On  this  point,  then,  I 
think  1  have  said  enough  ;  but  I  am  happy  to  be  able  to 
state  the  candid  admission  of  their  noble  huntsman,  that,  to 
those  very  eminent  breeders  of  fox-hounds,  Sir  Richard 

*  In  countries  so  close  as  Yorkshire,   hounds    must  occasional!/ 
meuse,  when  smaller  hounds  have  the  advantage. 


YORKSHIRE.  7j 

Puleston  and  Mr.  Ward,  is  he  deeply  indebted  for  that — es- 
sential to  blood — steadiness  on  the  line  for  which  the  Raby 
pack  are  at  present  conspicuous. 

Pictures  cannot  be  drawn  without  shades  ;  and  truth  and 
impartiality  require  me  to  say,  that  I  was  given  to  under- 
stand steadiness  on  the  line  was  not  at  one  time  the  charac- 
teristic of  the  Raby  pack.  Their  speed  was  undisputed  ;  b'it 
a  little  more  stoop  and  a  little  more  patiencp  under  difficul- 
ties were  wanting.  That  they  are  at  this  time  the  speediest 
hounds  in  England,  it  may  be  hard  to  determine ;  but  t  have 
heard  Sir  Belltngham  Graham  say  they  are  the  speediest  //« 
ever  saw ;  and  during  the  many  times  I  hunted  with  them, 
I  witnessed  some  as  fine  hunting  as  hounds  can  possibly 
show. 

Having  spoken  of  the  high  standard  of  the  Raby  pack, 
I  must  be  allowed  to  state  that  their  size  is  as  little  detri- 
mental to  their  symmetry  as  can  possibly  be  expected,  and 
they  bear  evident  marks  of  being  bred  by  a  judicious  hand. 
Large  animals  are  never  so  perfect  of  their  kind  as  smaller 
ones,  which  mainly  accounts  for  the  advantage  bitches 
have  in  this  respect  over  dog  hounds  ;  and  in  horses,  where 
is  the  pony  put  in  very  high  condition  that  we  should  not 
call  handsome?  and  how  scarce  is  this  quality  in  a  horse 
seventeen  hands  high  !  The  Raby  pack  are  not  parted  for 
the  sex,  and  the  kennel  contains  between  seventy  and  eighty 
couples  of  working  hounds. 

Lord  Darlington  is  assisted  in  the  field  by  three  men — 
namely,  two  whippers-in,  and  the  man  who  rides  his  Lord- 
ship's second  horse.  Their  Christian  names  are  Dick, 
Will,  and  George;  but  I  can  give  the  surname  of  Will  only, 
having  known  him  as  Will  Price  when  he  lived  with  Colo- 
nel Berkeley.  The  last  time  I  saw  him  previous  to  met?! 
ing  him  in  Yorkshire  was  on  the  top  of  a  Cheltenham 
coach,  on  his  road  to  London — having  left  Colonel  Berke- 
ley's service — to  hire  himself  to  Lord  Charles  Somerset, 
to  take  some  hounds  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Will,  how- 
ever, thought  better  of  going  among  the  black  boors  of  thru 
settlement,  and  went  to  whip  in  to  Mr.  Musters.  From 
Mr.  Musters  he  succeeded  to  his  present  place;  and  I  con- 
sider him  a  very  able  man  in  the  field. 

Here  Will  furnished   me  with  an  anecdote  which   must 


/G  NIMROD  S    HUNTING    TOUR. 

rot  be  lost.  Previous  to  his  going  to  Mr.  Musters,  Will 
Price  was  supposed  to  be  a  single  man,  but  whilst  in  North- 
amptonshire he  had  an  increase  to  his  establishment.  This 
gave  rise  to  the  report  of  his  being  married;  and  when  his 
old  master  the  Colonel  stumbled  upon  him,  a  word  or  two 
was  exchanged  on  the  subject.  'So,  Will,'  said  Colonel  B. 
'  you  are  married  1  find  ?  1  should  have  thought  you  might 
have  done  without  a  wife.'—'  Lord  bless  you,  Colonel,'  re- 
plied Will,  '  I  am  not  married— she's  only  a  woman  I've  got 
for  the  season.1 

Saturday  the  18th. — The  fixture  was  at  Newton  House. 
I  was  housed  there  the  night  before,  and  Sir  Bellingham 
Graham  and  his  two  sons  came  this  day  to  breakfast,  my 
friend  Godfrey  on  his  celebrated  pony  Barefoot — so  named 
from  his  likeness  to  the  no  less  celebrated  race-horse  of  that 
name— looking  determined  to  go ;  and  in  truth  this  young 
Nimrod  is  very  hard  to  beat.  We  had  two  very  handsome 
finds  from  Lady  Darlington's  preserves,  and  one  of  the  two 
foxes  gave  us  a  beautiful  gallop  of  twenty-seven  minutes, 
and  a  kill ;  we  also  killed  the  second.  We  had  then  a  pret- 
ty two-and-twenty  minutes  in  the  evening,  from  Askew 
Moor,  but  whipped  off  as  our  fox  crossed  a  river,  and  it  was 
late.  Lady  Augusta  iViilbanke  and  Lady  Arabella  Vane 
(his  Lordship's  eldest  and  youngest  daughters)  were  out, 
and  a  very  numerous  field  of  sportsmen  besides. 

With  our  first  fox  we  had  some  very  severe  fencing,  and 
there  were  two  very  awkward  falls.  First,  Mr.  Fenton, 
who,  although  on  a  very  good  leaper,  was  landed  on  his 
head,  on  the  headland  of  a  fallow  field,  in  no  very  enviable 
manner  for  a  weight  like  his.  The  fall,  however,  was  a 
harmless  one  ;  but  I  attribute  the  disaster  to  this  cause: — 
the  Goddess  of  Hunting,  like  other  old  maids,  is  easily  af- 
fronted, and  when  she  knits  her  brow  is  of  vindictive  tem- 
per, sometimes  requiring  even  human  sacrifice.  Mr.  Fen- 
ton's  costume  was  ill  suited  to  her  court:  he  was  attired  in 
white  Russian-duck  trowsers  an'd  Wellington  boots,  look- 
ing very  unlike  a  fox-hunter  in  the  end  of  November.  As 
his  cloth  was  black,  he  ought  to  have  remembered  the  words 
of  the  text — '  How  earnest  thou  hither  not  having  the  wed- 
ding garment  ? ' 

The  other  accident  was  of  a  more  serious   nature.     The 


YORKSHIRE*  77 

whipper-in's  (Dick's)  horse  fell  with  him  at  a  fence,  and 
came  with  all  his  weight  on  his  rider's  ribs  and  breast.  He 
was  conveyed  home,  and  every  care  taken  of  him ;  but  he 
was  found  to  be  seriously  injured. 

Sunday  the  19th. — As  Sir  Bellingham  and  myself  passed 
this  day  at  Newton  House,  we  had  an  opportunity  of  see- 
ing- some  of  the  operations  of  the  kennel.  Contrary  to  the 
practice  of  many  gentlemen-huntsmen,  Lord  Darlington 
feeds  his  own  hounds,  not  only  on  hunting  days,  but  upon 
all  others  during  the  season;  and  I  was  much  pleased  with 
the  very  business-like  manner  in  which  he  set  about  it. 
Previous  to  quitting  the  house,  he  put  a  pair  of  calashes 
over  his  boots,  and  when  he  got  to  the  kennel,  the  feeder 
presented  him  with  a  clean  white  (I  scarcely  know  what  to 
call  it)  frock,  something  like  what  the  better  order  of  butch- 
ers wear,  which  his  Lordship  put  on  over  his  coat.  This 
reached  down  to  his  heels,  completely  preventing  his  other 
clothes  being  soiled ;  and  when  he  pulled  off  that  and  his 
calashes  on  leaving  the  kennel,  he  was  fit  to  walk  into  a 
drawing-room. 

His  Lordship  was  minutely  particular  in  feeding  the  two 
packs ;  and,  although  the  day  was  far  from  inviting,  he 
walked  out  each  pack  for  very  near  an  hour,  accompanied 
(with  the  exception  of  Sir  B.  and  myself)  only  by  his  feeder. 
Were  I  to  say  I  never  saw  a  pack  of  fox-hounds  looking 
better  and  brighter  in  their  skins  than  Lord  Darlington's, 
£  might  go  a  point  too  far,  but  their  condition  was  very  level 
and  I  never  saw  a  sounder  pack  of  hounds  in  my  life  or 
one  more  full  of  bone. 

During  our  walk  out  with  the  hounds,  Lord  Darlington  re- 
lated to  us  a  singular  anecdote  of  the  instinct  of  a  fox-hound. 
In  his  father's  life-time,  a  hound  called  Gleaner  was  sent 
from  Yorkshire  to  the  then  Duke  of  Bolton,  of  Hackwood 
Park,  near  Basingstoke  in  Hampshire;  and  in  the  almos: 
incredible  space  of  sixty  hours  he  was  back  at  his  kennel 
in  Yorkshire. 

When  we  had  done  with  the  hounds,  we  devoted  an  hour 
to  the  stables,  which,  though  not  equal  in  space  or  mag- 
nificence to  those  at  Raby,  are  in  every  respect  sufficient, 
and  hold  about  thirty  hunters  besides  coach  horses.  It  is 
worthy  of  remark,  that  with  the  exception  of  a  pony  of  the 

VOL.    II.  7* 


73  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Countess's,  I  never  saw  a  hack  either  here  or  at  Raby. 
Everything  goes  a  hunting,  or  in  harness;  but  of  the  stud 
I  shall  speak  hereafter.  Three  of  the  hunters  were  going 
off  this  day  to  London  to  the  'hammer,  but  we  had  a  saddle 
put  on  one  of  them,  and  gave  him  a  gallop  in  the  grounds, 
which  ended  by  Sir  Beliingham  purchasing  him  for  his 
own  stud.  Lord  D.  made  us  laugh  when  he  told  us  he  sold 
that  horse  solely  to  oblige  the  ladies.  '  A  better  hunter,1  said 
his  Lordship,  '  no  man  need  ride;  but  he  put  his  foot  into  a 
grip  one  day  with  my  boy,  and  came  down,  which  the  La- 
dies attributed  to  his  having  only  one  eye.' 

Speaking  of  the  Ladies,  'Pray,  my  Lord,'  said  I,  as  we 
were  walking  out  with  the  hounds  after  feeding,  '  is  not 
your  kennel  here  very  near  to  the  house?  Does  not  the 
savor  of  the  boiler  sometimes  find  its  way  into  the  drawing- 
room  ?' — 'It  may,'  replied  his  Lordship,  '  but  we  are  all  to 
well  bred  for  fox-hunting  to  mind  that} — At  all  events, 
'a  concord  of  sweet  sounds'  must  often  titilate  the  Ladies' 
ears. 

I  cannot  here  let  pass  an  anecdote  of  Dick  the  whipper- 
in,  as  it  is  so  truly  characteristic  of  the  ruling  passion,  and 
also  of  the  attachment  men  have  to  hounds  when  cradled  in 
a  kennel.  It  so  happened  that  we  were  all — and  a  pretly 
large  party — seated  at  the  breakfast  table,  when  Lord  Dar- 
lington made  his  appearance.  Next  to  the  usual  inquiries 
after  his  Lordship's  health,  the  question  was  asked  by  two 
or  three  at  once,  '  Have  you  heard  how  Dick  is?' — '  I  have 
been  to  his  bed-side,'  said  Lord  D. ;  'he  has  had  a  restless 
night,  nevertheless  I  hope  he  will  do  well ;  but  he  made 
me  smile  when  he  said  he  had  no  doubt  but  he  should  be 
able  to  go  out  with  the  hounds  on  Wednesday  !  He  also  in- 
quired after  Lightning's  eyes,  and  how  Rufus  and  Mortimer 
had  fed  ? ' 

Monday  the  20th. — Lord  Darlington  met  at  No-man's 
Moor,  about  five  miles  from  Newton  House.  Drew  sever- 
al plantations,  and  Mr.  Scroope's  whin  ;  plenty  of  pheasants, 
but  no  fox.  Found  beautifully  in  Wylde  Wood,  the 
property  of  Mr.  Wyvil,  Member" for  York,  and  had  thirty 
minutes  to  ground,  very  straight  and  very  fast  till  just  at 
the  end,  when  the  hounds  divided,  or  we  must  have  tasted 
him.  There  was  a  very  large  field  this  day,  and  amongst 


YORKSHIRE.  79 

them  his  Grace  of  Leeds.  Lord  Darlington  rode  his  fa- 
mous grey  house  Panegyric,  purchased  some  years  since  of  his 
Grace,  and  Mr.  Milbanke  went  very  well  upon  a  horse  once 
Mr.  Maxse's. 

As  Sir  Bellingham  and  myself  were  to  return  to  Norton 
Conyers  that  afternoon,  and  we  were  then  nearly  twenty 
miles  distant  from  it,  we  took  leave  of  his  Lordship  as  he 
was  trying  to  bolt  his  fox,  and  made  towards  the  place 
where  our  hacks  were  planted.  On  the  road  we  passed 
through  the  village  of  Burniston,  and  here  I  saw  a  sign  to  a 
public-house  quite  new  to  me.  It  consisted  of  portraits  at 
full  length  and  in  full  costume  of  the  four  following  person- 
ages : — a  king,  a  soldier,  a  parson,  and  a  farmer  ;  and  the 
house  is  yclept  The  Four  Alls.  Out  of  the  mouth  of  His 
Majesty  were  the  words,  '  I  govern  all; '  the  soldier  says, 
•  I  fight  for  all,'  the  parson  '  I  pray  for  all,'  and  the  farmer 
finishes  with  '  I  pay  for  all.'  This  reminds  me  of  an  in- 
scription over  the  door  of  an  inn  which  Lord  Darlington 
informed  me  he  saw  at  Pisa  in  Italy,  and  which  he  was  kind 
enough  to  transcribe  for  me  whenatRaby.  Its  ingenuity 
consists  in  being  written  in  four  different  languages,  and  yet 
the  rhyme  and  metre  so  well  preserved  : — 

'  In  questa  Casa  trouverate, 
Tout  ce  qu'on  pent  souhaiter, 
Bonutn  vinum,pisces,  carnes, 
Coaches,  chaises,  horses,  harness.' 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  only  know  one  language,  the- 
followinir  may  be  quoted  as  the  English  version  of  the  en- 
tertainment and  accommodation  thus  held  out  to  travel- 
lers:— 

In  this  house  a  man  may  find 
All  things  suited  to  his  mind  ; 
Good  wine— fish  and  flesh  in  courses, 
Coaches,  chaises,  harness,  horses. 

Tuesday,  November  21st,  met  the  -York  and  Ainsty  at 
Pilmor,  ten  miles  from  Norton  Conyers,  a  common  situated 
between  two  very  large  coverts — a  wild  fox  hunting  place. 


$0  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

but  not  a  November  fixture-  In  the  spring  it  must  often 
•afford  runs.  On  this  day  our  hounds  divided  and  made  bad 
work  of  it.  I  got  off  with  the  smaller  lot ;  but  seeing  that 
nothing  could  be  done,  and  that  the  fox  was  making  back 
for  the  coverts,  I  trotted  gently  on  the  line.  We  again  found, 
and  had  a  hunting  run  through  a  horrible  country  compos- 
•ed  of  fields  about  two  acres  each,  enclosed  with  strong  black- 
thorn fences — nice  chances  for  horses'  legs !  Fortunately 
for  my  horse  he  cast  a  shoe,  and  I  went  home  ;  but  rather 
a  singular  adventure  occurred.  I  had  ridden  about  two 
miles  in  quest  of  a  black-smith,  when  I  met  a  person  on 
foot  (Mr.  Dale  of  Creakhill).  'I  think  1  have  got  your 
shoe  in  my  pocket,'  said  he.  '  Did  you  not  ride  over  the 
rails  out  of  Pilmor  with  Mr.  George  Swann  ?'  On  telling 
him  I  did,  he  informed  me  my  horse  pulled  off  his  shoe 
when  he  landed  on  the  other  side.  Had  it  not  come  offa  fall 
would  have  been  the  result. 

On  this  day  several  Officers  of  the  Fifth  Dragoon  Guards 
(quartered  at  York)  were  in  the  field.  Their  commanding 
officer,  Colonel  Wallace,  a  very  hard  rider,  was  at  this  time 
laid  up  from  the  effects  of  a  bad  fall  with  Lord  Darlington's 
hounds,  which  had  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  His  foot  became 
fast  in  his  stirrup,  and  he  received  several  severe  kicks  from 
his  horse  before  hecoukl  disengage  himself  from  his  perilous 

situation.  One  of  his  Captains,  the  Hon Kennedy, 

brother  to  the  very  sporting  Nobleman  of  that  name,  is  also 
a  bruising  rider,  and  I  had  seen  him  and  one  of  the  Subal- 
terns (Mr.  Brimer)  on  a  visitto  Sir  Bellingharn.  Mr.  Brimer 
gave  upwards  of  four  hundred  guineas  for  two  of  Mr.  Petre's 
hunters  at  his  sale,  when  he  gave  up  the  Badsworth  hounds. 
Mr.  Goodlake,  another  Sub  of  this  regiment,  and  eldest  son 
of  the  Champion  of  the  Long-tails  of  that  name,  was  also 
out  this  day  on  a  horse  he  gave  MY.  Harvey  Combe  a  lons1- 
ish  price  for;  and  on  another  day  1  met  Mr.  Radcliffe  of 
this  regiment  in  the  field,  who  is  a  member  of  Mr.  Farqu- 
harson's  Hunt,  and  a  very  pretty  performer 

Wednesday,  22nd,  met  Lord  Darlington  at  Tanfiek! 
Bridge,  which  crosses  the  river  Eure,  and  had  a  beautiful 
find.  The  fox  being  asleep  on  the,  bank,  and  jumping  up 
among  the  hounds,  had  hard  work  to  get  away.  However. 


YORKSHIRE.  81 

he  only  lived  half  an  hour,  the  pack  being  close  at  hisbrush, 
This  country  requires  notice.  It  goes  by  the  name  of  Pic- 
cadilly, with  the  pleasant  addition  of  Piccadilly,  with  the 
pavement  broken  up.  Foj  stones,  this  eclipses  all  stony  or 
flinty  countries  I  have  ever  seen,  and  the  worst  part  of 
Hampshire  is  a  fool  to  it.  Thank  Heaven,  however,  it  is  of 
small  extent,  as  it  is  surrounded  by  land  of  a  different  des- 
cription. We  found  again  and  again — again  and  again — 
in  all  five  foxes;  some  on  Sir  Bellingham's,  and  some  on 
Mr.  Staveley's  land  ;  but  we  could  do  no  good,  although  one 
took  us  within  half  a  mile  of  the  town  of  Ripon. 

Thursday,  23d.  Nothing  to  be  done  in  the  hunting  way  ; 
so  I  got  upon  my  hack  and  rode  to  Ripon,  celebrated  in  the 
annals  of  England  for  its  manufactory  of  spur-rowels;  and 
hence  a  brave  man  is  called  a  man  of  mettle — '  of  steel  as 
true  as  Ripon  rmotls! ' 

Friday,  24th,  met  Lord  Darlington  at  Butcherhouse 
Bar,  on  the  great  North-road.  The  day  was  tempestuous, 
and  we  were  intercepted  by  snow-storms  ;  so  the  only  thing 
worth  notice  was,  we  found  two  brace  and  a  half  of  foxes, 
and  killed  a  brace.  We  had  ten  minutes,  I  remember,  aw- 
fully fast  from  Pickhill  whin,  one  of  the  finest  coverts  I 
ever  saw,  but  two  near  the  rivers  Swale  and  Wisk  to  pro- 
duce any  certainty  of  sport;  though  when  hounds  do  run 
they  must  go  fast  in  that  country,  as  the  land  is  rich,  with  a 
good  deal  of  grass. 

After  hunting  on  this  day,  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  and 
myself  dined  at  Throp  Hall,  the  seat  of  Mr.  Mark  Milbanke 
M.  P.  for  Camelforcl. — I  have  given  it  as  my  opinion  that  the 
most  complete  hunting  seat  I  ever  saw  is  Newton  House  ; 
and  I  think,  if  I  were  asked  whether  in  my  walk  through 
life  I  had  seen  a  more  complete  residence  for  a  coun- 
try gentleman  of  from  six  to  ten  thousand  a-year  than 
Thorp  Hall,  I  should  be  inclined  to  say  I  had  not.  In  fart, 
the  principal  drawing-room  comes  under  the  head  of  splen- 
did ;  but  it  is  the  utile  dulci,  the  happy  admixture  of  conve- 
nience and  comfort  throughout  the  entire  of  the  place,  that 
struck  me  with  admiration.  There  r\pt  only  is  not  a  room 
nor  an  office  wanting,  but  every  room  and  every  office  ap- 
pears to  be  in  its  proper  place.  The  stables  also  are  most 
excellent ;  and  as  they  remind  me  of  the  motto  of  '  good  en- 


OxJ  NIMROD  S    HUNTING    TOTJR. 

tertainment  for  man  and  horse,'  I  am  sure  it  might  be  dis- 
played orvthe  ban-ners  of  Thorp,  for  a  more  agreeable  house 
no  man  can  enter.  You  have  all  the  elegances  of  life,  with- 
out that  over-refinement  of  them  which  only  operates  as 
their  bane.  It  gives  an  insipidity  to  conversation,  and  may 
not  be  inaptly  compared  to  a  bad  cork  in  a  bottle  of  good 
-wine.  It  spoils  the  flavor  of  everything. 
The  Poet  says, 

1  'Tis  not  indeed,  my  talent  to  engage 
In  lofty  trifles,  or  to  swell  my  page 
With  wind  and  noise ;' 

and  this  is  very  good  advice:  nevertheless,  having  been  in- 
dulged with  a  licence  of  now  and  then  reporting  some  tri- 
fling occurrences  in  private  life  that  meet  my  eye  on  my 
travels,  I  am  induced  to  notice  a  singular  feature  in  Mr.  Mil- 
banke's  establishment :  he  never  oices  a  bill,  neither  does  he 
ever  draw  a  cheque.  By  this  he  assured  me  he  saves  5QQL 
per  annum,  and  I  can  easily  credit  the  assertion. 

Thorp  Hall  is  only  three  miles  from  Newton  House, 
consequently  the  intercourse  between  the  families  is  almost 
daily.  Mr.  Milbanke  is  a  strict  preserver  of  foxes  on  the 
whole  of  his  property  in  Lord  Darlington's  Hunts — which 
is  very  considerable — and  yet  he  has  abundance  of  pheas- 
ants. I  consider  Mr.  Milbanke  the  best  mounted  man  in 
Lord  Darlington's  Hunt,  his  horses  being  well  bred,  and 
more  than  equal  to  his  weight ;  and  when  it  came  to  pace, 
I  thought  his  horses  had  the  heels  of  all  the  rest. 

Saturday,  the  25th,  met  Lord  Darlington  at  Exilby,  a 
very  short  distance  from  Mr.  Milbanke's  house.  The  morning 
was  wild  and 'tempestuous,  with  frequent  snow-storms,  and  the 
pack  appeared  at  the  covert's  side  without  their  huntsman. 
4  He  will  come  yet,'  said  one  of  the  Old  School;  'worse 
'weather  than  this  has  never  kept  him  away  from  his  hounds.' 
The  fact  was  his  Lordship  had  a  cold,  and  was-  far  from 
well ;  but  the  prophetic  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  old 
friend's  lips,  than  a  gfey  horse  was  seen  in  the  distance, 
which  we  soon  perceived  was  old  Panegyric  with  his  mas- 
ter on  his  back.  Nothing  occurred  worth  booking;  but 
we  killed  one fos  in  Low  Park  Wood,  and  after  having 


YORKSHIRE. 

tried  it  blank  with  one  terrier,  four  foxes,  were  bolted  out  of 
one  of  Mr.  Milbanke's  drains  by  another. 

Sunday  the  26th. — Sir  Bellingham  and  myself  quitted 
Thorp,  and  returned  to  Norton  Conyers,  travelling  through 
deep  snow. 

Monday  the  27th  was  a  hard  frost.  The  next  day  a  thaw 
commenced,  though  not  sufficient  to  admit  of  hunting;  and 
on  Wednesday  we  were  to  have  hunted  with  Lord  Darling- 
ton ;  but  as  the  fixture  was  at  a  distance,  and  the  ground 
scarcely  rideable,  we  met  the  Boroughbridge  harriers  in- 
stead. We  had  no  scent,  therefore  no  sport. 

On  the  30lh,  Sir  Bellingham  and  myself  returned  to 
Thorp  Hall,  for  the  purpose  of  attending  the  Bedale  Club, 
composed  of  the  members  of  the  Raby  Hunt.  The  Hon. 
Colonel  Arden  was  the  chairman  of  the  day,  and  a  very 
pleasant  evening  was  the  result.  Sir  Bellingham  was  just 
elected  a  member,  and  displayed  the  embroidered  fox  on  his 
collar.  Was  anything  wanting  to  prove  Lord  Darlington's 
staunchness  to  fox-hunting,  and  all  the  et-ceteras  of  it,  his 
constant  attendance  at  this  Club  every  Thursday  when  his 
hounds  are  in  the  country  would  go  a  great  way  towards  it. 
Some  would  consider  it  no  small  sacrifice  to  exchange  a 
Nobleman's  dinner-room  for  a  half-furnished  parlor  at  the 
Swan*  at  Bedale;  but  where  fox-hunting  requires  it,  it  cea- 
ses to  be  a  sacrifice  with  such  a  thorough-bred  sportsman  a* 
he  has  shown  himself.  It  has  occasionally  happened  that 
engagements  have  prevented  the  attendance  of  any  of  the 
members,  and  which  circumstance  his  Lordship  has  been 
aware  of:  but  even  this  has  not  prevented  his  own  presence, 
taking  with  him  some  friend  or  friends  that  maybe  in  his 
house. 

The  Bedale  Club  has  been  established  six  years.  They 
find  their  own  wines,  and  the  funds  amount  to  between  four 
and  five  hundred  pounds. 

Friday,  December  1st,  met  Lord  Darlington  at  Bedale 
town-end.  Found  in  the  Rev.  John  Monson's  whin,  and 
had  twenty-three  minutes,  with  a  kill,  very  quick  indeed. 

*  I  mean  no  disparagement  to  this  house,  which  is  as  good  as  any 
other  to  be  met  with  in  small  towns.  Bedale  is  situated  a  little  to  the 
left  of  the  Great  North  Road,  and  not  more  than  half  an  hour's  drive 
from  Newton  House,  or  Thorp. 


84  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOOK. 

Mr.  Milbanke,  Mr.  George  Sergeantson,  arid  Sir  Belling- 
hatn  Graham,  were  conspicous  in  the  burst,  out  of  a  numer- 
ous field,  and  the  fencing  was  frequent  and  awkward.  Mr. 
Monson  lost  his  hat,  and  consequently  his  place  at  starting, 
or  no  doubt  he  would  have  been  with  them,  for  he  is  a  very 
excellent  performer.  In  Lord  Darlington's  book  of  last 
year,  his  Lordship  thus  speaks  of  this  gentleman  :  '  I  can- 
not omit  to  mention  that  the  Rev.  John  Monson  shone  as 
conspicuously  this  day  on  his  grey  mare  as  in  the  pulpit, 
and  was  alone  with  the  hounds  over  Ainderby  mires  at  last 
near  Thornhill's  willow  bed.' 

On  Sunday,  December  3rd,  I  left  Northallerton,  and 
proceeded  towards  Sedgefield,  the  head-quarters  of  the  lamb- 
ton  Hunt. 

Monday,  December  4th. — The  fixture  for  Mr.  Lambton's 
hounds  was  Whitton,  a  few  miles  distant  from  Rushyford, 
but  the  turnpike  road  was  as  hard  as  Piccadilly  pavement : 
so  I  did  not  send  a  horse  to  covert,  and  began  to  prepare  to 
retrace  rny  steps  to  Newton  House.  About  mid  day,  how- 
ever, the  wind  changed,  and  symptoms  appeared  of  what  is 
called  in  Durham 'fresh  weather,'  alias  rain.  So  much 
for  the  fickleness  of  English  skies,  for  in  three  more  hours 
the  frost  was  almost  gone  ! 

It  is  natural  to  suppose  that  I  was  provided  with  an  in- 
troduction to  Mr.  Ralph  Lambton,  and  which  he  was  previ- 
ously in  possession  of;  but  I  did  not  intend  making  my  ap- 
perance  at  the  Club  until  after  the  first  day's  hunting;  so, 
in  pleasing  anticipation  of  a  good  run  on  the  morrow,  I  sat 
down  to  my  dinner  at  six  o'clock  at  Rushyford  inn,  and  in 
half  an  hour  after  the  door  opened,  and  in  walked  three 
strangers.  Two  strangers,  other-wise  attired,  might  have 
alarmed  my  nerves;  but  the  scarlet  coats  and  mud-bespatter- 
ed boots  of  these  friendly  intruders  proclaimed  them  visitors 
of  the  right  sort ;  and  they  came  with  a  message  from  Mr. 
Lambton,  expressing  his  regret  that  I  had  not  been  with 
his  hounds  in  the  morning,  but  hoping  to  see  me  at  the 
Club  at  seven  o'clock,  their  hour  of  dinner.  The  trio  was 
composed  of  Mr.  William  Williamson  (brother  to  Sir  Hed- 
with);  Mr.  Harland,  of  Sutton  Hall,  Yorkshire;  and  a 
Derbyshire  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Hurt.  They  were 
kind  enough  also  to  express  their  regret  that  I  had  lost  a 


YORKSHIRE.  85 

great  treat  on  that  day ;  for  having  gone  out  at  one  o'clock 
into  a  low  country,  they  had  seen  a  beautiful  run  of  thir- 
ty-five minutes,  with  a  kill,  and  the  riding  not  much  amiss. 
Being  on  their  road  to  Whitworth,  the  seat  of  Mr.  Dun- 
combe  Shafto,  where  they  were  engaged  to  dinner,  they  took 
their  leave  with  the  assurance  of  shewing  me  a  good  day's 
sport  on  the  morrow.  This  was  a  promising  commence- 
ment of  my  visit  to  Durham,  and  a  flattering  reception  in  a 
land  of  strangers. 

When  I  awoke  the  next  morning,  I  found  the  ground  so 
hard  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  hunting,  so  took  anoth- 
er nap.  My  slumbers,  however,  were  light,  being  distur- 
bed by  dreams  of  frozen  oceans,  mountains  of  ice,  and  all 
the  horrors  of  the  Arctic  regions ;  for  I  had  never  before 
been  even  thus  far  North,  and  I  considered  this  was  only  the 
beginning  of  an  inclement  season. 

The  specimen  I  had  in  the  three  members  of  the  Sedge- 
field  Hunt  brought  me  to  the  resolution  of  spending  a  few 
days  at  the  Club,  hunting  or  no  hunting  ;  so  despatched  my 
clothes,  and  followed  upon  my  hack.  Encouraged  by  the 
sudden  alteration  of  the  weather  the  day  before,  I  found  the 
servants,  in  their  red  coats  and  caps  ready  for  a  start,  and 
several  gentlemen  booted  and  spurred ;  but  all  in  vain. 
There  was  every  appearance  of  a  month's  shut-up. 

On  my  arrival  at  Sedgefield,  I  lost  no  time  in  paying  my 
respects  to  the  master  of  the  hounds,  whom  I  found — sports- 
man-like— taking  up  his  abode  in  a  small  lodging,  next  door 
but  one  to  the  inn  where  the  Club  dined,  and  where  he  may 
be  said  to  be  near  his  work,  as  the  kennel  is.  also  adjoining 
the  inn  yard.  He  accosted  me  with  great  kindness;  assur- 
ed me  he  would  do  all  in  his  power  to  make  my  visit  agree- 
able, and  to  induce  me  to  repeat  it  another  season,  whilst  he 
lamented  the  awkward  prospect  then  before  us. 

Mr.  Lambton's  pack  being  one  of  very  high  character,  it 
was  natural  that  I  should  feel  anxious  for  a  sight  of  them, 
and  in  a  very  short  time  we  were  in  the  kennel.  He  was 
also  good  enough  to  say  that,  although  we  could  not  hunt, 
he  would  take  out  the  whole  pack  for  exercise,  and  shew  me 
some  of  his  best  country,  of  which,  as  far  as  my  eye  could 
carry  me,  and  looking  at  it  under  such  inauspicious  circum- 
stances, I  formed  a  very  favorable  opinion. 

VOL.    II.  8 


85  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

These  hounds  have  always  gone  by  the  name  of  the 
Lambton  hounds,  in  consequence,  I  conclude,  of  a  small 
subscription,  amounting  to  somewhat  about  eight  hundred 
pounds,  which  must  go  but  a  little  way  towards  the  expenses 
of  so  grand  an  establishment  as  I  am  justfied  in  represent- 
ing this  to  be.  Mr.  Lambton's  kennel  consists  of  about 
sixty  couples  of  hounds  ;  a  very  capital  stud  of  hunters  for 
himself  and  his  men,  of  whom  he  has  four  out  every  day  ; 
and  his  fixtures  are  always  four,  and  very  often  five  days  a 
week. 

Of  Mr  Lambton  I  shall  say  nothing  at  present;  but  of 
his  pack  I  am  called  upon  to  declare,  that  although  the  Poet 
tells  us, 

'  so  slow 

The  growth  of  what  is  excellent,  so  hard 
T"  attain  perfection  in  this  nether  world :: 

they  do  approach  as  near  perfection  as  we  can  expect  any- 
thing here.  Their  standard  is  not  high — not  more  than 
twenty-four  for  dog  hounds  and  twenty-two  for  bitches — 
hut  they  are  particularly  strong.  In  symmetry  and  shew 
of  high  breeding  they  cannot  be  excelled  ;  and  their  condi- 
tion is  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  the  art. 

As  nothing  is  more  gratifying  than  to  see  objects  that  ap- 
proach nearest  to  perfection,  it  was  a  treat  to  me  even  to 
ride  upon  ice  with  this  pack  before  my  eyes.  To  an  ad- 
mirer of  the  animal,  no  higher  gratification  could  be  affor- 
ded than  in  looking  at  such  hounds  as  Merlin,  Rosamond, 
Rosemary,  Myrtle,  Lovely,  Venus,  and  Beauty.  In  nam- 
ing some  of  them,  when  whelps,  Mr.  Lambton  may  almost 
T>e  said  to  have  had  some  prophetic  feeling,  for  most  of  the 
names  are  sympathetic  of  beauty.  There  is  Venus  the 
goddess  herself,  there  is  Lovely,  and  there  is  Beauty;  and 
Rosamond,  among  the  poets,  is  an  appellation  expressive  of 
female  beauty.  It  may  be  said  I  degrade  the  character  of 
female  beauty  when  I  apply  it  to  a  dog;  but  I  should  deny 
the  charge,  and  answer  that  a  fox-hound  bitch  displays  it 
second  only  to  a  woman:  for  what  is  the  basis  of  what  we 
call  beauty  1  Is  it  not  shape  and  spirit,  combined  with  an 
elegant  carriage  ?  Did  not  ^Eneas  know  Venus  by  htr 


YORKSHIRE.  ! 

walk  ?  Nothing  can  be  more  elegant  than  the  gait  of  an 
English  fox-hound  when  cast  in  a  perfect  mould. 

Mr.  Lambton  chiefly  breeds  from  his  own  blood ;  but 
where  he  has  gone  from  home  for  crosses,  he  has  shewn 
his  judgment  in  selecting  such  hounds  as  the  Duke  of 
Beaufort's  Lexicon,  Lord  Middleton's  Denmark  and  Van- 
guard, Mr.  Osbaldeston's  Ralleywood  and  Palafox,  the  Che- 
shire Mandate,  Lord  Londale's  Wonder,  Lord  Darlington's 
Cruiser,  and  Mr.  Ward's  Jasper — the  old  New  Forest  blood, 
that  scarcely  ever  fails. 

In  our  ride  this  day  Mr.  Lambton  took  me  to  the  house 
of  a  celebrated  old  sportsman  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and 
one  of  that  respectable  and  once  happy  class  of  beings  call- 
ed English  yeomen.  Sir  Walter  Scott  calls  them, 

'  England's  peculiar  and  appropriate  sons, 
Known  in  no  other  land ;' 

and  John  Burrell  is  as  good  a  sample  as  the  Poet  could  have 
found.  For  aught  I  know  he  might  have  had  him  in  his 
eye  when  he  wrote, 

'  Each  boasts  his  hearth 

And  field,  as  free  as  the  best  lord  his  barony ; 
Owing  subjection  to  no  human  vassalage 
Save  to  their  king  and  law ;' 

for  there  was  an  air  of  honest  independence  about  John 
Burrell  that  made  a  deep  impression  upon  me :  and  when 
he  went  up  to  the  Hon. Captain  Dundas,  shook  him  heartily 
by  the  hand,  and,  '  in  the  full  dialect  of  his  nation,'  asked 
him  how  all  his  friends  in  Yorkshire  were  ?  I  thought  I  saw 
something  like  a  resurrection  of  old  English  manners. 
There  was  a  warmth  of  feeling  in  his  address  and  language 
so  different  to  the  cold-blooded  greetings  of  the  present  day 
that  was  quite  to  my  taste ;  and  I  was  sorry  to  hear  him  de- 
cline the  honor  of  dining  at  the  Club,  for  I  am  sure  I  should 
have  had  a  treat.  Independent  of  waiting  till  seven  o'clock 
for  his  dinner,  Mr.  Burrell  told  me  he  was  got  too  old  for 
such  company — adding,  with  a  strong  emphasis,  that  he  had 
a  great  regard  for  the  gentlemen  of  the  Hunt,  who  had  been 
very  kind  to  him. 


88  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Lovers  feed  upon  hopes,  and  so  at  times  do  fox-hunters. 
We  returned  to  Sedgefield,  hoping  the  frost  would  not  last 
long-,  but  not  without  some  unpleasant  forebodings.  Our 
party  at  the  Club,  in  consequence  of  the  weather,  was  small, 
but  everything  extremely  comfortable  and  correct ;  and  in 
the  secretary  (Mr.  Benjaman  Ord,  well  known  in  the  school 
as  Ben  Ord,  and  very  handy  with  his  fists)  I  recognised  an 
old  Rugbsean,  although  he  quitted  half  a  year  after  I  enter- 
ed the  school. 

Wednesday,  6th — The  goddess  of  the  morning  appeared 
in  a  doubtful  garb  ;  not  in  her  saffron-colored  robe — as  the 
poets  elegantly  describe  her — expanding  with  her  rosy  fin- 
gers the  gates  of  light,  and  scattering  the  pearly  dew,  but 
with  a  complexion  dark  and  lowering,  suitable  to  the  month 
of  December,  and  surrounded  by  a  dense  fog.  In  the  night 
there  had  been  what  we  call  in  England  a  black  frost ;  but 
the  wind  blew  from  a  more  genial  point,  and  hopes  were 
entertained  of  a  change.  About  twelve  o'clock  drops 
fell  from  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  and  before  two  it  rain- 
ed. 

The  disappearance  of  the  frost  put  us  all  in  high  spirits, 
and  the  rest  of  the  morning  was  passed  in  the  kennel,  where 
I  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  Mr.  Lambton's  first  per- 
formance as  a  huntsman  in  the  act  of  feeding  his  hounds. 
This  he  did  (and  he  never  neglects  the  duty)  with  the  min- 
utest attention  ;  and  his  pains  are  requited,  for  his  condition 
is  perfect.  He  is  here  assisted  by  an  excellent  feeder,  who 
has  been  many  years  in  his  kennel,  and  doubtless  he  contrib- 
utes his  share  towards  perfection, 

In  whatever  capacity  we  view  him,  man  is  very  much 
the  product  of  his  situation ;  and  really,  beyond  a  fox- 
hound or  a  boiler,  this  boiler  of  carrion  does  not  appear  to 
have  a  thought.  I  should  have  tried  to  have  got  a  wrinkle 
from  him,  but  he  was  so  strong  of  the  Durham  that  I  could 
scarcely  comprehend  two  words  he  said.  His  hounds,  how- 
ever, are  not  so  dull,  for  he  has  them  in  most  excellent  or- 
der:  they  fly  from  the  troughs  at  the  word  of  command  ; 
and  well  they  may;  for  when  he  sings  out  'Wanton,  Wan- 
ton !  gang  along  Walton !'  I  am  certain  he  might  be 
heard  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  on  a  still  day. 

Thursday,  7th. — We  might  have  hunted  this  day  ;  but  as 


YORKSHIRE.  *'.' 

Mr.  Lambton's  earth-stoppers  do  not  stop  from  the  News- 
papers, no  earths  were  put  to:  so  Mr.  Williamson  accompa- 
nied me  to  Rushyford  to  see  my  stud,  and  to  help  to  kill  the 
day.  On  the  road  thither,  he  shewed  me  something  he 
thought  would  please.  This  was  a  very  high  timber  fence, 
into  the  road,  just  newly  covered  with  broken  stones,  which 
Bob,  the  whipper-in,  had  ridden  over  a  few  days  before, 
merely  to  turn  hounds.  From  the  concussion  produced,  the 
horse  was  unable  to  keep  his  legs,  and  floundered  on  his 
head  on  the  ground.  Bob,  however,  stuck  to  him,  hanging 
at  one  time  only  by  his  spurs ;  but  he  never  ceased  hallooing, 
1  Get  away,  get  away,  get  away,  hounds !'  whereas  most 
people  would  have  been  thinking  of  being  trepanned.  His 
situation  must  have  been  an  awful  one,  or  it  would  have 
been  thought  lightly  of  by  Mr,  Williamson  ;  for  in  all  my 
days  I  never  saw — indeed  it  is  impossible  to  see — a  more 
nerveless  rider  than  the  renowned  Billy  Williamson — I 
beg  pardon,  but  in  the  Sedgefield  country  Mr.  Williamson 
is  known  by  no  other  name — of  whom  I  must  make  more 
honorable  mention  hereafter. 

Friday,  8th. — The  Lambton  hounds  met  at  Butterwick, 
three  miles  from  Sedgefield — a  long  draw,  hounds  very 
steady,  but  no  fox.  Fancied  I  was  near  some  great  game- 
preserver  ;  or,  what  is  worse,  some  vulpecide,  and  noted 
the  same  in  my  book,  but  said  nothing,  We  found  our- 
selves at  last  by  the  side  of  a  beautiful  whin  called  Green- 
side,  and  here  we  had  a  beautiful  find.  We  had  also  some^ 
thing  more :  we  had  a  good  display  of  a  correct  ear  and 
attention  to  hounds  in  Mr.  Beckwich,  a  sportsman  of  great 
note,  and  also  one  of  the  has-beens  over  a  country ;  but  his 
great  weight,  added  to  being  the  wrong  side  of  fifty,  now 
stops  him.  This  gentleman  is  likewise  dubbed  '  Billy' 
among  his  familiars,  and  the  name  of  Billy  Beckwith  is 
well  known  in  the  North.  He  resides  at  Trindon  House, 
near  Sedgefield,  has  a  good  estate  in  the  county  of  Durham, 
and  is  one  of  the  best  shots  going. 

Our  Greenside  fox  gave  us  a  very  sharp  burst  to  Lord 
Howden's  plantations,  where  we  changed,  and  could  not  do 
much  afterwards.  Billy  Williamson  went,  as  usual,  like  a 
good  one  upon  The  Barber,  who  gave  him  two  falls ;  but 
that  is  a  trifle  to  a  man  resolved  to  get  to  hounds.  A  Dr. 
VOL.  n.  8* 


90  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Trotter  (M.  D.)  also,  son  of  that  distinguished  sportsman, 
Mr.  Trotter  of  Staindrop,  near  Raby,  went  in  excellent  form 
on  a  well-bred  grey.  We  left  off  this  day  on  the  beautiful 
domain  of  Mr.  Burdon,  of  Castle  Eden,  who  many  years 
represented  the  county.  The  scenery  is  beautiful,  but  too 
romantic  for  fox-hunting. 

I  was  much  pleased  by  the  sight  of  John  Burrell  in  the 
field  this  morning.  His  riding  days  are  over,  as  indeed  are 
those  of  most  other  men  at  his  advanced  age  ;  but  he  still 
likes  the  smack  of  the  whip.  I  was  happy  in  having  an 
opportunity  of  conversing  with  him,  and,  as  far  as  my  re- 
collection goes,  the  following  is  about  the  substance  of  our 
day's  discourse. 

Nimrod. — This  is  a  clever  pack  of  hounds,  Mr.  Bur- 
Tell. 

John  Burrell. — You  never  saw  such  a  pack  before,  and 
no  doubt  but  you  have  seen  a  muckle. 

Nimrod — I  have  seen  another  fine  pack  which  you  know 
— Lord  Darlington's, 

John  B. — Oh,  he's  a  fine  sportsman  !  and  when  he's  at 
Raby  I  often  gang  to  see  him.  I  am  very  fond  of  his  Lord- 
ship, and  his  Lordship  is  very  fond  of  me.  And  my  Lady! 
eh,  what  a  horsewoman  she  is!  but  she  don't  gang  so  well 
as  she  did :  I  reckon  her  Ladyship  gets  a  bit  jolly. 

Nimrod. — You  have  a  fine  country  here,  Mr.  Burrell. 

John  B. — Aye!  the  country's  well  enough;  but  the 
parsons'  suck  all  the  goodness  out  of  it.  It  all  goes  to  Dur- 
ham. 

Nimrod. — But,  Mr.  Burrell,  I  am  sorry  to  find  the  Mar- 
quis of  Londondeny  kills  your  foxes.  I  fear  he  will  hurt 
your  country  worse  than  the  parsons. 

John  B. — Indeed  I  am  very  angry  with  his  Lordship,  and 
I  told  my  Lady  so  the  other  day.  She  can't  bear  the  cry  of 
dogs,  she  says.  Oh  fie  !  her  father  was  as  good  a  sports- 
man as  ever  followed  a  hound.  What !  Sir  Harry  Vane 
Tempest's  daughter  not  bear  the  cry  of  dogs  !  Oh  fie !  But 
this  comes  of  all  your  fine  London  work.  It  didn't  use  to 
be  so*  I  am  very  angry  at  them  ;  I  don't  think  I  shall  ev- 
er gang  to  dine  at  Wynyard  Park  again.  The  last  time 
1  was  there,  they  put  me  into  a  room  that  smoked  like  a 


YORKSHIRE.  91 

lime  kiln;  but  I  should  not  have  minded  that  if  they  didn't 
kill  the  foxes. 

Style,  we  are  told,  is  the  image  of  the  mind  ;  and  here  we 
see  it  displayed  with  the  freedom  and  independence  of  an 
English  yeoman,  who,  I  hope,  will  never  be  afraid  to  speak 
his  sentiments,  and  boldly  too,  in  this  land  of  liberty.  Kil- 
ling foxes,  and  thereby  destroying  the  sport  of  a  number  of 
gentlemen,  who  incur  great  expenses  with  the  expectation 
of  enjoying  it,  is  unworthy  of  any  man  aspiring  to  the  char- 
acter of  an  English  gentleman. 

I  must  not  let  John  Burrell  depart  just  yet.  He  has  Jong 
afforded  much  amusement  by  that  bluntness  of  expression, 
for  which,  even  in  the  presence  of  superiors,  the  old  English 
character  has  ever  been  conspicuous,  and  I  must  give  my 
readers  one  more  specimen. 

Lord  Darlington's  dog-language  is  particularly  good.  I 
think  he  finds  his  fox  in  a  very  superior  manner,  and  some 
of  his  cheering  halloos  quite  thrill  the  soul.  In  chase  how- 
ever, he  is  a  little  lavish  of  the  word  Forward  !  which  once 
called. forth  the  criticism  of  his  old  friend  John  Burrell. 
The  hounds  were  one  day  running  very  hard,  and,  it  may 
be,  a  litle  too  fast  for  the  horses,  his  Lordship's  among  the 
rest.  Honest  John  happened  to  be  close  to  his  Lordship, 
who  was  trying  to  cr.tch  them — at  the  same  time  singing 
out '  Forward,  forward,  forward  !' — '  What  in  the  name  of 
God  !  my  Lord,'  exclaimed  John,  '  a;e  you  hallooing  for- 
ward for  now  ?  surely  arn't  the  dogs  ganging  a  mile  before 
us  already?' 

On  another  occasion  Lord  Darlington  made  a  cast  which 
tlid  not  please  John.  Sure  enough  the.  fox  had  not  gone 
lhat  road ;  and  when,  after  the  failure,  his  Lordship  trotted 
tack  with  his  hounds  to  the  line,  John  Burrell  exclaimed, 
VThatcast  my  Lord,  was  perfectly  ridiculous.'  Lord  Dar- 
lington smiled  ;  but  to  the 'honor  of  fox-hunting  be  it  said, 
tkat  had  not  John  Burrell  been  a  sportsman,  the  joke  might 
not  have  gone  down  quite  so  well,  as  we  must  confess  the 
language  though  forcible,  was  homely. 

Saturday,  Dec.  9th. — The  fixture  was  Bradbury  Bridge, 
about  half  way  between  Sedgefield  and  Rushyford.  We 
had  no  sport  worth  speaking  of,  which  I  regretted  for  more 
reasons  than  one.  A  very  promising  young  sportsman,  and 


9  2  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

an  elegant  horseman,  had  travelled  night  and  day  from 
Brasenose  College,  Oxford,  to  get  in  time  for  this  "fixture. 
This  was  Mr.  John  Shafio,  second  son  of  Mr.  Buncombe 
Shafto,  of  Whitworth.  He  is  one  of  the  steadiest  young 
ones  I  ever  met  with ;  and  I  pronounce  him,  even  at 
this  time,  what  an  Irishman  would  term,  an  illigant  rider 
to  hounds. 

Monday,  llth. — Met  Mr.  Lambton's  hounds  at  Grimdon. 
Found  in  Carlton  whin,  of  eighteen  acres,  and  killed.  I 
know  nothing  worthy  of  record  on  this  day,  unless  it  be 
that  Billy  Williamson  charged  an  impracticable  brook 
which  The  Barber  went  gallantly  at,  and,  falling  backwards, 
reposed  himself  in  it  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour ;  but  the 
next  day  afforded  a  day's  sport  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  an- 
nals of  fox-hunting,  which  it  gives  me  unfeigned  pleasure 
to  record;  for,  being  obliged  to  leave  the  Sedgefield  coun- 
try on  the  following  Thursday,  I  was  afraid  I  should  have 
quitted  it  without  witnessing  a  good  specimen  of  what  this 
clever  pack  of  hounds  could  accomplish. 

The  hounds  met  at  Long  Newton,  twelve  miles -from 
Sedgefield,  where  a  large  field  of  well-mounted  sportsmen 
were  waiting  their  arrival.  Being  a  favorite  fixture,  there 
had  been  a  strong  muster  of  Members  on  the  preceding  ev- 
ening at  the  Club ;  and  I  know  not  why — for  no  oracle  had 
been  consulted — no  favorable  omen  had  appeared — no  pro- 
phetic dream  had  been  related — but  the  cheering  words  '  we 
shall  havea  run  to-morrow,'  proceeded  from  the  lips  of  every 
one.  '  By  the  Lord,  Nimrod,'  said  Billy  Williamson,  '  but 
your  condition  will  be  tried  to-morrow,  for  we  shall  find  a 
good  fox  in  a  deep  country.' 

The  morning  was  fine;  and,  as  we  rode  to  covert,  I 
thought  I  saw  more  than  a  common  degree  of  cheerfulness 
expressed  in  each  man's  countenance.  As  for  myself— as 
I  often  do  on  this  occasion — I  felt  a  buoyancy  of  hear' 
quite  incompressible ;  and  T  might  well  have  exclaimed, 

'  My  bosom's  Lord  sits  lightly  on  his  throne.' 

But  who  will  say  he  does  not  at  times  feel  some  presage  of 
the  future  ?  I  cannot  say  so ;  I  had  rather  yield  to  che  ex- 
travagance of  the  Poet,  and  declare  with  him— 


YORKSHIRE.  93 

'  I  know  not  how  it  is ; 

But  a  foreboding  presses  on  my  heart 
At  times  until  I  sicken. — I  have  heard, 
And  from'men  learn'd,  that  before  the  touch 
(The  common  coarser  touch)  of  good  or  ill 
That  oftentimes  a  subtler  sense  informs 
Some  spirits  of  the  approach  of '  things  to  be.' ' 

I  very  much  liked  the  country  about  Long  Newton.  It 
was  dirty  and  deep,  and  looked  like  fox-hunting;  the  fields 
were  large,  with  a  fair  share  of  grass.  Contrary  to  expecta- 
tion, we  drew  some  very  likely  coverts  without  finding;  at 
last  a  fox  went  gallantly  away  from  Foxyhill.  The  first 
half  hour  was-an  arrant  burst.  Hounds  could  not  well  go 
faster,  and  the  check  was  only  momentary.  One  gentleman, 
a  little  over  anxious,  had  got  too  forward  on  the  line,  but  he 
was  let  off  better  than  he  would  have  been  in  some  coun- 
tries which  I  know.  '  Hold  hard,  Sir,'  said  the  Master  ; 
'  Venus  has  it  under  your  horse's  feet  /' — '  Ah  !'  said  I, '  Ve- 
nus is  always  kind  to  fox-hunters ;'  and  away  we  went 
again.  Wishing  to  make  this  part  of  my  story  short,  at 
the  end  of  rather  better  than  fifty  minutes,  our  fox  crawled, 
dead  beat,  into  Elstob  whin*,  where  the  hounds  instantly 
changed  to  a  fresh  one.  We  ran  this  fox  one  hour  and 
three  minutes,  and  killed  him  in  as  fine  style  as  ever  a  fox 
was  killed ;  and  out  of  upwards  of  one  hundred  horsemen 
who  started  from  the  covert's  side,  only  fifteen  were  able  to 
give  any  account  of  either  hounds  or  fox — having  been  fairly 
run  away  from  by  the  pack,  and  scattered  in  all  directions 
about  the  country.  As  is  always  the  case  on  these  occasions, 
some  ludicrous  scenes  were  presented,  and  I  shall  avail  my- 
self of  my  licence  to  place  one  or  two  of  them  on  paper. 

The  first  half  hour  of  this  day  gave  the  hounds  a  good 
chance  to  get  well  away  with  their  fox,  which  we  all  know  is 

*  Elstob  whin  afforded  a  capital  day's  sport  to  the  Lambton  hounds 
on  the  19th  of  November  1822.  They  killed  their  fox  after  a  run  of 
two  hours  and  thirty-five  minutes;  when  some  were  planted,  many 
had  enough,  and  none  went  better  than  the  gallant  Captain  Healey  on 
a  bay  mare,  who  rode  best,  to  the  admiration  of  all  who  lived  with 
the  hounds.  This  fox  ran  twenty-five  miles  of  country. 


84  NIMROD's    HUNTING    TOUR. 

greatly  in  favor  of  a  handsome  finish.  We  had  a  good  deal 
of  old  grass,  with  roomy  fields  ;  and  the  fences,  though  not 
particularly  large,  were  such  as  obliged  us  to  take  with  cau- 
tion, and  of  course  stopped  the  speed  of  the  horsemen.  On 
the  one  side  or  the  other  of  a  great  many  of  them,  gorse 
was  planted  by  the  sides  of  the  ditches,  which  rendered  them 
so  blind  that  we  were  obliged  to  walk  our  horses  into  the 
gorse,  before  they  could  rise  at  their  leaps.  The  scent  was 
also  good — not  perhaps  what  could  be  termed  a  burning  one 
but  such  as  enabled  a  pack  like  this  to  hold  on  with  their 
fox,  with  their  heads  well  up  and  their  sterns  well  down. 
But  to  the  following  circumstance  is  to  be  attributed  the 
scattering  of  the  field,  and  the  stoppage  of  the  horses. — The 
space  between  all  the  checks — and  there  were  only  four  in 
an  hour  and  fifty  minutes,  and  those  very  short  ones — was 
very  considerable  ;  and  the  last,  which  did  the  greatest  mis- 
chief, was  full  six  miles,  with  the  hounds  going  very  best 
pace,  and  at  every  yard  gaining  on  their  fox.  We  killed 
him  in  a  whin  ;  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  pleasure  I  felt 
when  I  heard  the  pack  at  bay.  '  He's  gone  to  ground,  said 
Mr.  Harland,  who  was  making  his  way  into  the  whin  with 
Mr.  John  Shafto.  '  Not  a  bit  of  it,'  exclaimed  I ;  '  they  have 
killed  him,  by  G--d  !'  and,  putting  my  finger  to  my  ear,  hal- 
loo'd  '  who-whoop  '  till  my  breath  was  gone. 

If  ever  the  condition  of  hounds  was  put  to  a  strong  test, 
and  proved  to  be  good,  it  was  in  this  chase.  1  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  them  run  in  to  their  fox,  and  for  the  last 
two  miles  they  carried  a  head  such  as  is  seldom  surpassed 
in  a  ten  minutes'  burst  with  a  burning  scent.  Every  hound 
was  in  his  place,  and  if  ever  the  stale  simile  of  covering 
them  with  a  sheet  might  be  allowed  to  be  applied,  it  may 
not  be  extravagant  to  do  so  here.  1  said  it  at  the  moment,  and 
I  repeat  it  now,  that  nothing  could  exceed  the  stoutness  of 
these  hounds  on  this  day :  and  nothing  but  the  excellence 
of  their  condition  could  have  produced  such  a  finish.  They 
had  been  running  over  a  severe  and  deep  country,  with  a 
great  deal  of  plough  and  a  great  deal  of  fencing,  for  two 
hours  save  seven  minutes;  but  their  powers  were  quite  un- 
diminished  to  the  last:  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  pace 
they  ran,  up  hill,  over,  a  large  field,  which  led  to  the  whin 
in  which  they  killed. 

The  latter  part  of  this  run  was  over  as  distressing  a  conn- 


YORKSHIRE.  95 

try  for  horses  as  I  ever  witnessed.  The  fields  were  large 
— several  of  them  forty  or  fifty  acres  each — and  ploughed, 
or  in  stubble.  In  the  last  half  hour  we  had  several  of  these 
to  traverse  obliquely,  which  greatly  distressed  the  few  hor- 
ses that  were  then  struggling  to  keep  up,  and  they  dropped 
ofT  apace.  My  recollection  affords  me  no  instance  of  great- 
er distress  than  was  seen  on  this  memorable  day.  Some 
men  were  leading  their  horses:  others  trying  to  urge  them 
on  in  a  walk;  but  all  would  not  do:  they  were  obliged  to 
decline — for  the  fact  is,  the  condition  of  the  hounds  was  too 
good  for  that  of  the  horses. 

It  might  be  invidious  in  me  to  state  who  got  to  the  end  of 
this  run,  and  who  did  not.  The  master  of  the  pack,  upon 
Beanstalk,  went  gallantly  to  the  death,  and  it  would  be  un- 
generous to  deny  him  his  place.  Ben  Ord  was  also  there  . 
Captain  Beville,  of  the  95th,  from  Sunderland  barracks, 
kept  his  place  to  the  end.  Billy  Williamson  went  like  a 
good  one  for  the  first  half  hour,  when  his  mare  broke  down, 
and  we  lost  him.  He  will  excuse  me  for  expressing  a  doubt 
whether,  if  this  had  not  happened,  he  would  have  got  to  the 
end  of  this  run.  I  think  it  was  beyond  the  period  which 
nature,  however  good,  could  resist  crying  'enough'  with 
his  style  of  riding  ;  for,  as  a  Durham  farmer  says  of  him, 
'  Nought  but  an  iron  horse  can  carry  him  along.'  There 
was  a  gentleman-farmer  also  on  a  grey  mare  that  I  thought 
would  '  call  out  for  mamma,'  if  he  continued  cramming  her 
along  at  the  pace  he  was  going.  I  cheered  him  at  the  sec- 
ond check,  and  told  him  she  was  a  good  one ;  but  she  was 
not  good  enough  for  this  day,  and  was  not  to  be  seen  at  the 
end. 

There  was  a  hard-riding  young  one — Mr.  Hurt,1  from 
Derbyshire — who  tried  his  best  to  see  this  fox  killed,  but  al] 
would  not  do.  Although  I  offered  him  assistance  toward 
the  latter  end,  I  rather  enjoyed  seeing  him  reduced  to  a 
walk,  as  he  had  been  very  impatient  to  see,  what  he  called, 
a  run,  and  seemed  rather  to  doubt  whether  the  country 
could  produce  one.  If,  however,  he  was  not  satisfied  with 
this  day's  sport,  /  am  sure  his  brown  mare  was,  and  I  fear 
she  was  not  worth  much  afterwards.  This  is  the  worst  part 
of  the  story  :  such  a  run  as  this  is  certain  to  produce  suf- 
fering amongst  horses — chiefly,  however,  because  people 


96  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

will  ride  them  when  they  are  not  fit  to  go — and  I  am  sorry 
to  say  several  did  not  recover  the  effects  of  this  tickler. 
Captain  Dundas'  horse  died,  which  I  very  much  regretted, 
as  he  had  ridden  gallantly  through  the  chase,  and  several 
more  were  at  death's  door. 

I  do  not  recollect  that  I  ever  asked  for  a  brush  in  my  life ; 
but  on  this  occasion — so  far  from  home — I  wished  to  pos- 
sess some  attribute  of  victory;  so  requested  a  pad  of  this 
gallant  fox.  I  have  had  it  put  into  a  small  glass  case,  with 
the  following  inscription  on  the  outside : — 

1  This  fox  jumped  up  on  the  12th  of  December  1826  in 
Elstob  whin,  before  Mr.  Ralph  Lambton's  hounds,  just  on 
the  line  of  their  hunted  fox,  which  they  had  been  running 
hard  for  fifty  minutes,  and  was  then  dead  beat.  He  was 
killed  at  the  end  of  a  splendid  chase  of  one  hour — in  which 
the  powers  and  condition  of  this  beautiful  pack  were  dis- 
played to  the  admiration  of  the  few  who  lived  with  them  to 
the  last ;  and  which  will  long  be  remembered  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Durham  as  a  proof  of  what  a  victory  can  be  achieved 
by  fox-hounds,  with  a  good  fox  before  them,  over  the  best 
horses  and  the  best  riders  in  the  country.' 

Some  ludicrous  scenes  occurred  in  this  run  ;  and  as,  after 
all',  life  is  but  an  entertainment,  and  we  all  act  some  part  in 
the  play,  I  am  quite  certain  that  Mr.  John  Davison,  of  Ches- 
ter-le-street — one  of  the  best  tempered  men  in  the  world, 
and  a  member  of  the  Lambton  Hunt — will  have  no  objec- 
tion to  being  brought  on  the  stage,  and  add  his  mite  to  the 
amusement  of  the  audience. 

It  so  happened,  that  on  this  day  Mr.  Davison  sent  to  cov- 
ert a  very  clever  bay  horse;  and,  on  my  making  a  remark 
on  him  to  one  of  his  friends,  he  told  me  he  believed  he  was 
for  sale,  and  might  be  purchased  well  worth  the  money. 
When  I  saw  him  again,  with  Mr.  Davison  on  his  back,  I 
liked  him  better,  and  asked  his  price.  The  answer  was, 
'  Two  hundred  and  fifty  guineas !'  Now,  although  we  are 
told  '  money  makes  the  mare  to  go,'  it  has  not  always  that 
effect  upon  a  horse;  for  Mr.  Davison  came  to  a  stand  still,. 
in  spite  of  my  more  than  once  calling  to  him,  '  Come  along, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  guineas !'  This,  however,  was  noth- 
ing, for  he  had  plenty  of  company ;  but  I  heard  afterwards 
that  about  half  an  hour  before  the  fox  was  killed  the  two- 


YORKSHIRE.  97 

hundred-and-fifty-guinea-horse  reposed  himself  on  the 
ground  in  no  very  pleasing-  attitude — his  affrighted  master 
standing  over  him,  with  his  hands  clasped,  and  in  an  audi- 
ble voice  emphatically  exclaiming,  '  By  G--d  he's  dead  !  ! ' 
I  am  happy  to  say,  however  Death  did  not  claim  him  this 
time,  but  only  gave  Mr.  Davison  a  hint  not  to  bring  so  nice 
a  horse  into  the  field  again,  so  totally  unfit  to  go  through  a 
severe  run  with  hounds ;  and  I  hope  this  hint  may  not  be 
lost  upon  others. 

Not  having  been  quite  up  to  the  mark,  I  was  very  much 
fatigued  with  this  run,  and  no  wonder.  We  had  been  gal- 
lopping  over  a  deep  and  severe  country  for  two  hours  all 
but  a  few  minutes;  and  1  should  think  we  had  been  over  at 
least  two  hundred  fences.  The  consequence  was,  when  I 
got  back  to  Sedgefield,  I  went  to  bed,  and  here  I  had  an  un- 
expected pleasure.  I  fell  asleep,  and  dreamed  a  dream.  I 
saw  in  my  vision — not  heaps  of  gold,  not  beautiful  women, 
but — Mr.  Lambton's  hounds  running  over  the  country  as  1 
had  seen  them  in  the  morning.  I  saw  Billy  Williamson 
going  at  a  pace  chat  nothing  but  the  blood  of  Medusa  could 
maintain.  I  cannot  say, 

,  '  Methought  I  heard  a  voice 

Sweet  as  the  shepherd's  pipe  upon  the  mountains, 
When  all  his  little  flock's  at  feed  before  him  ;' 

but  I  could  have  sworn  1  heard  the  whipper-in  Bob's  '  Get 
away,  get  away,  hounds,'  quite  as  plain  and  in  the  varmint 
tone  I  had  heard  it  in  the  run.  If  I  could  use  a  pencil,  I 
could  sketch  Captain  Dundas  as  my  fancy  painted  him — 
and  as  he  had  also  been  seen  in  the  morning — landing  from 
the  top  of  a  steep  bank,  with  his  horse  on  his  head,  his  coat 
flying  up,  and  his  white  cords  in  full  view.  I'll  be  bound  to 
say,  if  any  one  had  been  near  me,  he  would  have  heard  me 
singing  out — 

'  He  is  off;  no  he's  on ;  he  hangs  by  the  mane.' 

I  saw  Mr.  Lambton  on  Beanstalk,  and  John  Shafto  on  the 
little  bay  horse  ;  but  I  did  not  see  Mr.  Davison's  horse  on 
his  back,  and  his  master  lamenting  over  him,  like  ^Eneas 
in  the  storm — (!  Duplices  tendens  ad  sidcra  palmas,  talia 
VOL.  11.  9 


93  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

race  refer/,'  by  G-d  he's  dead  !)  The  drowsy  god  permit- 
ted nothing  to  disturb  the  pleasant  workings  of  my  fancy  ; 
so  I  did  not  dream  of  my  brother  sportsmen  in  distress, 
nor  of  the  Derbyshire  youth  who  thought  Durham  could 
not  shew  a  run,  but  whose  brown  mare  thought  otherwise ; 
but  I  was  treated  with  a  sight  of  Rosamond  and  Rosemary, 
'the  Captain  Jewels  of  the  Cankanet,'  running  into  their 
fox,  with  their  sterns  down  and  bristles  up,  putting  me  in 
mind  of  the  dogs  of  war.  What  I  should  have  seen  next, 
I  know  not ;  for  a  rap  at  my  door  to  say  it  was  time  to  dress 
myself  for  dinner  awoke  me  from  my  sleep,  and  away  went 
those  agreeable  ideas  which  Fancy  was  at  that  time  enter- 
taining me  with,  and  in  an  half  an  hour  after  I  was  in  the 
Club  room. 

Pearls  in  dreams  betoken  tears,  at   least   so   old  women 
have  it — 

'  There  is  some  ill  a-brewing  towards  my  rest, 
For  I  did  dream  of  money  bags  to-night.' 

However,  as  my  fancy  directed  me  to  nothing  of  the  sort,  but 
had  merely  amused  itself  with  the  events  of  the  day,  rather 
might  I  have  exclaimed  with  the  Poet, 

'  If  I  may  trust  the  flattering  eye  of  sleep, 
My  dreams  presage  some  joyful  news  at  hand.' 

And  truly  this  was  the  case.  I  passed  the  evening  of  this 
day  in  a  manner  I  shall  not  only  never  forget,  but  in  a  man- 
ner that  more  than  ever  stamped  on  my  mind  the  solid  ad- 
vantages of  fox-hunting.  The  whole  party  seemed  to  pos- 
sess but  one  soul.  The  master  of  the  hounds  was  transported 
with  delight,  pleasure  beamed  in  his  eye,  and  the  bottle 
went  round  best  pace  to  a  very  late  hour.  In  short,  it  was 
a  day  of  rare  festivity,  and  worth  an  age  of  common  exis- 
tence. 

When  I  entered  the  Club-room  at  seven  o'clock,  the 
whole  party,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Lambton,  were  as- 
sembled, awaiting  the  announcement  of  dinner,  and  I  think 
I  counted  sixteen.  When  he  arrived,  a  most  entertaining 
scene  occurred.  This  was,  the  excuse  each  man  made  for 


YORKSHIRE. 

not  going  to  the  end  of  the  run  ;  and,  if  my  recollection 
serves,  only  five  of  the  party  had  that  pleasure.  Their  an- 
swers to  Mr.  Lambton,  who  catechised  them  separately,  gave 
rise  to  much  merriment;  and  when  Mr.  Beckwith  told  us 
that  he.  was  thrown  out  in  consequence  of  meeting  the  fox,  a 
roar  of  laughter  succeeded — that  being  in  the  first  place  a 
very  stale  excuse,  and  in  the  second,  a  very  bad  one  for  so 
old  and  so  good  a  sportsman  as  the  well-known  Billy  Beck- 
with. There  was  only  one  lost  shoe,  and  that  I  can  vouch 
for,  as  having  saved  the  credit  of  that  staunch  fox-hunter, 
Mr.  Surtees  of  Mainsforth  This  gentleman  keeps  up  the 
style  of  old  English  hospitality  and  the  good  customs  of  our 
forefathers.  He  invites  Mr.  Lambton,  his  hounds,  his  ser- 
vants, his  horses,  and  his  friends,  with  their  servants  and 
horses,  to  his  house  for  one  fortnight  every  season,  where 
he  entertains  them  with  everything  of  the  best:  and  I  was 
very  sorry  it  was  not  in  my  power  to  accept  of  his  kind  in- 
vitation at  the  ensuing  anniversary  of  this  jovial  meeting. 
Refuse  it  1  could  not;  for  his  commands  ^were  issued  in  the 
Medean  style. — '  You  must  come,1  said  he  '  I  shall  take  no 
excuse.' 

I  have  not  yet  done  with  descanting  on  the  effects  of  this 
fine  day's  sport  and  truly  jovial  night.  There  was  a  young 
gentleman  of  the  party  who  had  observed  a  remarkable  tac- 
iturnity during  the  whole  week.  Nay,  more  than  that,  he 
had  dozed  away  his  evenings  as  if  careless  or  unconscious 
of  the  passing  scene.  '  He  is  in  love,'  said  I.  I  was  told 
he  was  not.  '  He  is  plethoric,  and  should  be  cupped.' — 
'  Not  a  bit  of  it,'  said  his  friend  ;  '  he  is  as  good  a  fellow  as 
ever  cracked  a  bottle.' — '  I  do  not  doubt  it,'  was  my  reply; 
'  but  I  should  like  to  hear  him  throw  his  tongue  a  little.' 
The  proceedings  of  this  day  had  the  wished-for  effect.  Like 
a  butterfly  in  the  sunshine,  he  was  all  alive;  he  never  once 
dozed  in  his  chair :  he  told  us  several  excellent  anecdotes, 
and  sang  two  capital  songs. 

Although  on  this  evening  we  dedicated  a  vigil  to  the  jol- 
ly god,  drinking  is  not  the  characteristic  of  the  Sedgefield 
Club  :  for  by  one  of  its  rules  the  landlord  forfeits  a  bottle  of 
wine  if  he  neglects  to  bring  in  the  bill  in  three  hours  after 
dinner  is  served ;  and  it  was  only  broken  through  on  this 
occasion,  being  an  extraordinary  one. 


100  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

The  undress  uniform  of  the  Sedgefield  Club  is  a  plain 
scarlet  coat,  with  collar  of  the  same,  and  white  buttons. 
The  dress  uniform  is  a  black  coat,  black  velvet  collar,  gilt 
buttons,  with  a  plained  raised  border,  and  a  fox  and  the  let- 
ter L  embossed;  a  white  upper  waistcoat,  with  an  underone 
of  scarlet  satin,  silk,  or  cloth.  The  two  following  rules  of 
this  Club  are  deserving  of  notice  : — 

Rule  16.  'That  any  Member  breaking  a  gap  into,  or 
riding  into,  through  or  over  any  covert,  after  it  shall  be  prop- 
erly enclosed,  be  fined  one  guinea.' 

Rule  17.  '  That  if,  during  the  continuance  of  the  Sedge- 
field  Meeting,  any  gentleman  of  the  Lambton  Hunt,  or  any 
visitor  shall  trespass,  either  by  shooting  or  coursing  on  any 
manors  or  estates  in  the  neighborhood,  without  the  consent 
of  the  proprietors  in  writing,  he  shall  be  fined  twenty  guin- 
eas, upon  complaint  being  made  by  the  proprietors.' 

There  was  but  one  take-off  from  the  pleasure  and  com- 
fort of  the  Sedgefield  Club,  and  that  was  the  lateness  of  the 
dinner  hour  (seven  o'clock)  on  non  hunting  days.  Men 
who  hunt  four  or  five  days  a  week  ought  to  retire  early  to 
rest,  which  is  not  in  their  power  if  they  do  not  get  up  from 
the  dinner  table  till  near  eleven  o'clock,  which  must  be  the 
case  here. 

Like  Lord  Darlington,  Mr.  Lambton  is  a  strong  suppor- 
ter of  the  Sedgefield  Club,  as  during  the  meeting,  he  never 
accepts  an  invitation  to  dinner  from  any  of  the  neighboring 
gentlemen.  Sedgefield  is  a  small  town,  situate  five  miles  to 
the  right  of  the  great  Edinburgh  road,  distant  from  Dur- 
ham eleven,  and  from  Stockton-on-Tees  ten  miles.  It  is  no- 
ted by  the  celebrated  Dr.  Askew  for  the  salubrity  of  its  air : 
the  land  about  it  is  sound  and  productive ;  and  I  saw  a  good 
specimen  of  modern  farming  by  the  Rector  of  the  parish, 
the  Honorable  and  Reverend  the  Viscount  Barrington. 

The  Lion  of  the  place  is  Hardwicke  Hall,  the  seat  of 
Mr.  Russell,  of  sporting  celebrity,  the  park  of  which ''adjoins 
the  town.  Hardwicke  Hall  with  its  domain,  however,  is 
only  as  I  understand  a  cottage  in  a  paddock  when  compar- 
ed with  Mr.  Russell's  other  seat,  near  Durham,  called 
Brancepeth  Castle.  Mr.  R.  was  not  in  the  country  when  I 
was  at  Sedgefield. 

I  must  not  quit  the  Sedgefield  Club   without  notice  of  a 


YORKSHIRE.  1UI 

song  (among  several  others)  which  was  sung  in  most  excel- 
lent style  by  our  chairman,  Mr.  Sutton,  of  Elton  nearStock- 
ton-on-Tees,  on  the  memorable  evening  I  have  been  descri- 
bing. It  is  called  Sir  Charles  Turner's  celebrated  hunting 
song,  of  'Old  Casar  or  sixty  years  since  ;'  and  is  somewhat 
of  a  parody  on  the  well-known  Irish  Killruddery  Fox- 
chase,  so  well  described  in  song,  and  set  to  the  same  mu- 
sic— 

Attend  jolly  sportsmen,  I'll  sing  you  a  song 

Which  cannot  fail  pleasing  the  old  and  the  young; 

I'll  sing  of  a  famous  old  fox  and  his  wiles, 

Which  led  us  a  chase  of  at  least  fifty  miles. 

I'll  tell  you  a  tale  of  such  men  and  such  hounds, 

With  what  courage  they'd  hie  over  all  sorts  of  grounds ; 

See  hounds  vie  with  hounds,  and  how  men  with  men  strive, 

Old  Draper*  might  rue  that  he  were  not  alive ! 

At  Hurworth  famed  village,  as  soon  as  'twas  light, 
We  feasted  our  eyes  with  a  ravishing  sight ! 
Each  sportsman  had  pleasure  and  joy  in  his  face, 
Their  horses  and  hounds  were  all  ripe  for  the  chase. 
But  first  the  Commander  in  Chief  let  me  name, 
The  Lord  of  Kirkleatham  of  true  honest  fame, 
A  friend  to  good  men,  but  profestly  a  foe 
To  villains  with  four  legs  as  well  as  with  two. 

We  had  not  tried  long,  before  Rafter  gave  mouth — 
Esteem'd  by  the  pack  as  a  standard  of  truth; 
They  quickly  flew  to  him,  and  instant  declare 
That  Rafter  was  right,  'fora  Fox  had  been  there.' 
And  trust  me  he  proved  a  notorious  blade, 
His  name  was  Old  Casar,  and  plunder  his  trade. 
His  name-sake,  in  all  the  great  battles  he  won, 
Spilt  less  blood  by  gallons  than  this  rouge  had  done. 

Unkennel'd  at  Aingholme,  he  led  us  a  round, 
In  which  we  might  runabout  four  miles  of  ground  ; 
Then  back  to  the  earths,  but  the  stoppers  took  care 
To  baulk  him  from  making  his  quarters  good  there; 

*  A  celebrated  old  sportsman  in  the  North  Riding  of  York 
VOL.  n.  9* 


102  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Disdaining  such  treatment,  he  flourished  his  brush, 
And  seem'd  to  say — Sportsmen,  I  care  not  a  rush ; 
I'll  give  you  a  proof  of  such  stoutness  and  speed, 
That  old  Nimrod  himself  would  have  honor'd  my  breed. 

Through  Hornby  and  Smeaton  he  now  bent  his  way. 
Resolved  to  make  this  a  remarkable  day ; 
He  then  wheel'd  to  the  left,  to  the  banks  of  the  Tees, 
But  there  he  could  find  neither  shelter  nor  ease ; 
.     So,  finding  with  what  sort  of  hounds  he'd  to  deal, 
And  that  his  pursuers  were  true  men  of  steel, 
He  push'd  to  gain  shelter  in  great  Crathorne  wood, 
With  the  hounds  at  his  brush,  and  all  eager  for  blood. 

Now  the  field,  all  alive,  how  they  smoked  him  along! 
So  joyous  the  music,  each  note  was  a  song, 
And  all  was  good  humor,  and  spirit,  and  joy, 
Though  Strong  emulation  enliven'd  each  eye. 
Next  passing  by  Marton,  and  Ormsby  great  hall, 
He  seem'd  to^say — Little  1  value  you  all ; 
For  many  a  stout  horse  was  now  slack'ning  his  speed. 
And  to  see  them  tail  off  was  diverting  indeed. 

Then  not  to  be  thought  a  contemptible  fox, 
He  dared  them  to  follow  o'er  Cleveland  high  rocks. 
But  th'ascent  was  so  steep,  and  so  painfully  won, 
That  few  gained  the  top  before  he  was  far  gone. 
To  Kirkleatham  Hall  he  next  bent  his  career, 
Hard  press'd  by  the  owner  to  end  his  life  there 
Assuring  him  he  and  his  friends  would  not  fail 
All  possible  honors  to  render  his  tail. 

Now  no  one  but  Turner  being  left  in  the  field, 

And  finding  Old  Csesar  unwilling  to  yield, 

At  Kilton  thought  proper  to  finish  the  strife, 

So  called  off  the  pack,  to  give  Csesar  his  life. 

But  Firetail  and  Bonny- Lass  would  have  a  meal, 

(Whose  hearts  were  of  oak,  and  whose  limbs  were  of  steel, ) 

So  they  soon  ran  him  up  to  his  friend  at  the  mill, 

Where,  triumphant,  they  seized  him  and  feasted  their  fill. 

Then,  just  like  attraction  'twixt  needle  and  pole, 
We  were  seated  that  evening  at  Kirkleatham  Hall. 


YORKSHIRE.  103 

Where  the  bottles  of  red  and  fox-hunter's  bowl 
Not  only  enliven'd,  but  cherish'd  the  soul, 
Oh,  long  may  our  host  still  continue  to  grace 
His  mansion,  the  country,  and  likewise  the  chase : 
And  as  long  as  Old  Time  shall  be  govern'd  by  clocks, 
May  Turner  preside  o'er  the  brush  of  the  fox  ! 

We  rarely  see  or  hear  a  good  hunting  song  ;  but  I  think 
the  one  I  have  transcribed  a  very  fair  sample,  and  appeared 
to  me  still  fairer  at  the  time,  from  the  excellent  effect  given 
to  it  by  the  animating  style  in  which  Mr.  Sutton  sang  it,  as 
well  as  several  others  with  which  he  favored  us  in  the  course 
of  this  convivial  evening. 

Everything  connected  with  fox-hunting  is  conducted  up- 
on a  very  liberal  scale  by  Mr.  Lambton.  His  stud  of  hun- 
ters is  not  only  efficient,  but  contains  several  very  superior 
horses  for  his  men,  as  well  as  for  himself,  and  the  greater 
part  of  them  are  well-bred.  Having  five  out  every  day,  of 
course  he  has  a  large  stud  ;  but  they  were  not  all  at  Sedge- 
field  when  I  was  there,  as  some  of  them  are  sent  over  to  his 
seat  at  Merton,  to  be  changed  for  fresh  ones,  as  occasion  re- 
quires. Being  a  single  man,  however,  with  a  good  fortune, 
all  these  requisites  are  within  this  gentleman's  reach,  and 
I  only  do  him  justice  when  I  say  that  he  does  the  thing 
well. 

With  respect  to  his  hounds,  I  cannot  help  once  more  say- 
ing that  they  are  extremely  perfect  and  extremely  good. 
They  are  beautifully  formed,  and  of  a  right  size  for  endur- 
ing fatigue.  There  are  limits  in  the  operations  of  nature  as 
wellas  inthose  of  art.  A  longbeam  breaks  by  its  own  weight ; 
neither  have  large  animals  often  strength  in  proportion  to 
their  size;  and  of  this  hint  Mr.  Lambton  availed  himself. 
I  have  nothing  particular  to  notice  in  the  kennel  or  stables 
of  Sedgefield.  They  are  quite  sufficient  for  the  purpose, 
and  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  hounds  and  horses  are 
only  here  at  certain  periods  of  the  season. 

I  am  unable  to  say  anything  respecting  Mr.  Lambton's 
home  country,  not  having  seen  it;  but  I  was  given  to  under- 
stand it  is  bad.  By  all  accounts,  it  is  a  more  desirable  coun- 
try to  have  property  in  than  to  ride  over,  as  it  abounds  with 
an  article  called 'the  black  diamond,'  for  the  large  possess- 


104  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

ion  of  which  this  family  is  conspicuous,  and  consequently  it 
abounds  with  coal  pits*.  These  things  do  not  in  the  least 
contribute  to  the  picturesque;  but  when  black  is  made  black 
and  white,  it  forms  a  pretty  feature  in  the  banker's  book. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  long  continued  frost,  T  should 
have  been  able  to  have  given  a  better  account  of  this  part  of 
the  county  of  Durham,  as  I  was  engaged  to  have  spent  some 
time  at  Merton,  and  to  have  gone  thence  to  Mr  Surtees's 
hospitable  mansion.  I  was  given  to  understand  that  I  had 
a  double  loss  here.  At  the  former  place  I  should  have  seen 
all  the  elegances  of  modern  life;  at  the  latter,  the  old-fash- 
ioned hospitallity,  now  become  scarce,  of  the  old  English 
country  gentleman.  This  to  its  full  extent,  is  very  near- 
ly lost,  and  all  within  my  recollection.  But,  as  the  Poet 
says, 

'  The  town  has  tinged  the  country,  and  the  stain 
Appears  a  spot  upon  a  vestal's  robe, 
The  worse  for  what  it  soils.' 

I  should  not  think  there  are  many  sportsmen  who  have 
not  seen  the  print  of  Mr.  Ralph  Lambton  and  his  hounds, 
from  a  painting  of  Ward-  He  is  represented  in  the  act  of 
getting  together  his  hounds  in  a  covert,  and  is  mounted  on 
a  favorite  hunter  called  Undertaker,  which  he  rode  several 
seasons.  Although  I  expected  to  find  a  heavier  man — Mr. 
L.'s  weight  on  horse  back  not  exceeding  twelve  stone — I 
was  struck  with  the  correctness  of  the  portrait  as  soon  as  I 
saw  the  original — particularly  as  regards  his  seat  on  his 
saddle.  He  is  a  good  horseman,  and  rides  well  up  to  his 

*  In  a  cold  country  like  England  there  is  certainly  a  great  advan- 
tage in  a  plentiful  supply  of  coals,  although  the  saving  to  the  consu- 
mers is  not  what  might  be  expected,  owing  to  the  profuse  expenditure 
of  them  in  the  houses.  The  grates  in  Durham  are  of  immense  size, 
and  not  only  are  they  filled  on  all  occasions  in  the  winter,  but  there  is 
always  a  hoard  behind  them  ready  to  supply  the  place  of  those  which 
are  burning.  The  first  evening  that  I  went  into  my  bed-room  at 
Sedgefield,  I  asked  the  chambermaid  what  joint  of  meat  was  going  to 
be  roasted  at  the  fire ;  for  there  were  more  coals  on  it  than  would  be 
seen  in  a  Hampshire  kitchen. 


YORKSHIRE.  105 

hounds.  Undertaker  was  a  most  superior  hunter.  He  was 
got  by  St.  George  out  of  a  Trinculo  mare,  and  Mr.  L.  had 
also  annother  very  clever  hunter  out  of  the  same  mare,  got 
by  Atlas.  They  were  both  bred  by  a  medical  gentleman  of 
the  immortal  name  of  Nelson. 

Few  people  follow  a  pack  of  fox-hounds  regularly  for 
any  length  of  time  without  meeting  with  some  serious  acci- 
dents, the  marks  of  which  many  of  them  carry  to  the  grave. 
I  am  sorry  to  have  to  record  a  most  serious  one  that  befel 
Mr.  Lambton  three  years  ago,  which  very  nearly  cost  him 
his  life.  He  rode  at  a  fence  in  chase,  and  his  horse  falling, 
he  was  pitched  upon  his  head,  and  taken  up  lifeless.  Par- 
alysis was  the  consequence  of  the  injury,  and  for  a  long 
time  he  was  considered  to  be  in  imminent  danger.  Having 
a  good  constitution  he  gradually  recovered;  but  most  un- 
luckily the  year  afterwards  he  got  another  fall,  which  was 
worse  in  its  consequences  than  the  first.  He  was  riding  a 
verv  old  hack  from  his  home  kennel  to  his  house  at  Merton, 
a  distance  of  about  three  miles,  when  he  fell  with  him,  and 
he  was  again  pitched  upon  his  head.  I  am,  however,  hap- 
py to  say  that  he  is  now  once  more  in  very  good  health,  al- 
though at  times  he  suffers  from  the  injuries  his  frame  receiv- 
ed, and  his  head  and  neck  are  a  little  distorted  from  their  nat- 
ural position:  but  I  have  great  pleasure  in  adding,  his 
spirits  are  as  <?ood  as  ever,  and  he  seemed  to  stand  his  work 
well. 

It  is  said  by  a  writer,  whose  celebrity  perhaps  does  no 
great  honor  to  the  feelings  of  human  nature,  that,  let  a  man 
die  amidst  ever  so  many  lamentations  and  regrets,  if  he 
could  rise  again  from  the  dead,  after  a  lapse  of  a  few  years, 
his  re-appearance  on  earth  would  not  be  found  to  be  pro- 
ductive of  unmingled  satisfaction  among  his  friends  who 
wept  over  his  closing  grave.  As  this  experiment  has  never 
been  tried,  all  we  can  do  is,  in  charity,  to  doubt  the  fact:  but 
I  think  I  can  assert,  that  few  men  in  England  in  private  life 
would  have  been  more  sincerely  or  longer  regretted  than 
Mr.  Ralph  Lambton,  had  this  accident  been  fatal  to  him; 
neither  do  I  think  the  resurrection  of  such  members  of  so- 
ciety would  ever  be  deemed  unseasonable  :  for  if  weighed^ 
in  the  scale  in  which  I  balance  the  qualities  of  mankind,  he 
would  be  found  to  be  thumping  weight.  I  was,  indeed  giv- 


106  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

en  to  understand  by  all  who  spoke  of  him,  that  I  should  find 
him  everything  that  a  man  ought  to  be;  but  as  Pliny  says 
of  a  contemporary  of  his,  I  found  him  '  superior  to  all  that 
was  reported  of  him*.'  To  the  ardor  of  the  sportsman,  he 
adds  the  high  polish  of  a  gentleman;  and  he  has  distin- 
guished himself  for — perhaps  one  of  our  rarest  virtues — 
sincerity  in  his  friendships.  In  all  probability  I  may  never 
see  him  again  ;  but  I  rejoice  in  the  opportunity  of  declaring 
that  I  shall  cherish  for  him  the  greatest  respect.  I  venerate 
his  judgment  as  a  sportsman  ;  I  consider  him  an  honor  to 
fox-hunting;  I  esteem  him  as  a  man  ;  and  I  hold  him  up  as 
a  pattern  of  an  English  gentleman,  in  the  true  acceptation  of 
that  word.  I  can  only  add,  in  the  words  of  the  Bard, 

'  May  he  live 
Longer  than  I  have  time  to  tell  his  years !' 

It  was  said  of  Shakspeare,  that  he  was  not  to  be  tried  by 
any  code  of  critic  laws  ;  as  much  as  to  say,  such  a  genius  as 
his  could  '  rise  to  faults  critics  dare  not  mend.'  How  then 
can  I  presume  to  pass  my  feeble  judgment  on  Mr.  Ralph 
Lambton  as  a  huntsman  to  fox-hounds,  knowing,  as  I  do, 
that  his  pack  is  one  of  the  very  highest  character,  and  that 
he  has  always  hunted  them  himself.  Wisdom,  says  the 
proverb,  is  the  produce  of  experience  ;  and  if  such  men  as 
himself  and  Lord  Darlington  have  not  learned  their  trade, 
this  maxim  does  not  hold  good,  for  they  have  served  exactly 
five  apprenticeships  to  the  art.  It  must  also  be  remembered, 
that  the  prowess  of  a  huntsman  is  not  confined  to  the  opera- 
tions of  the  field.  A  skilful  General  is  as  great  in  council 
as  he  is  in  action  ;  and  unless  a  huntsman  be  clever  in  his 
kennel,  he  does  but  half  what  is  required  of  him.  He.  may 
have  sport,  for  that  is  often  the  consequence  of  fortuitous  cir- 
cumstances— such  as  country,  &c. — and  he  may  kill  his 

*  In  this  able  letter  of  Pliny  to  Nepos,  he  mentions  the  fact  of  a 
man  travelling  from  Cadiz  to  Rome  to  see  the  celebrated  historian 
Livy,  and,  after  satisfying  his  curiosit)',  returning  home.  I  only  speak 
my  feelings  when  I  declare,  that  from  the  character  I  had  heard  of 
Mr.  Ralph  Lambton,  I  would  have  followed  the  example  of  the  enter- 
prising Spaniard. 


YORKSHIRE.  107 

foxes  ;  but  he  never  will  have  a  really  good  and  steady  pack 
of  fox-hounds.  Combining,  however,  the  duties  of  the  ken- 
nel and  the  field,  I  am  bound  to  give  Mr.  Ralph  Lambton 
the  credit  of  being  premier  artiste  in  this  line,  and  in  the 
first  class  of  English  huntsmen  now  going.  In  some  res- 
pects he  is  not  exactly  a  Jack  Musters ;  neither  his  voice 
nor  his  language  to  his  hounds  is  so  good  and  so  cheering; 
indeed  now  and  then  I  heard  a  halloo  peculiar  to  himself; 
but  he  is  very  decisive  in  his  casts,  the  result  of  a  very  quick 
eye;  and  his  men  assist  him  to  admiration,  being  always  in 
their  places.  Jack  Winter,  first  whipper-in,  and  huntsman 
in  his  master's  absence,  is  a  very  good  man  with  hounds, 
and  has  been  with  Mr.  Lambton  ever  since  he  was  a  boy : 
and  Bob  Fenwick,  with  his  '  Get  away,  get  away,  hounds  !' 
quite  a  tip-top  hand,  and  devotedly  attached  to  the  sport. 
There  is  also  a  lad,  as  second  whip,  an  excellent  horseman, 
and  will  do  well  by  and  bye.  Mr.  Lambton's  man  Harry, 
who  rides  his  second  horse,  is  likewise  of  great  use  at  cer- 
tain times;  so  that,  in  a  country  where  hounds  are  seldom 
out  of  sight,  it  would  be  somewhat  odd  if  they  were  not  tol- 
erably steady. 

Foxes  are  beautifully  found  by  these  hounds.  Mr.  Lamb- 
ton  himself  excels  here:  in  drawing  up  to  them  he  displays 
a  master's  hand,  and  when  on  foot  they  are  capitally  halloo'd 
away  by  the  men.  Previously  to  this,  great  order  is  obser- 
ved by  the  field,  who  indeed,  set  an  example  I  wish  we 
could  see  more  generally  followed.  They  all  assemble, 
sportsmanlike,  in- one  spot,  and  give  the  fox  a  chance  to  fly, 
instead  of  heading  him  at  all  points,  the  common  practice  of 
many  countries.  Perhaps  this  may  here  proceed  from  two  cau- 
ses : — first  they  have  a  high  respect  for  the  commander-in- 
chief ;  and  secondly,  there  are  a  great  many  sportsmen  in 
this  Hunt  who  really  wish  to  see  a  run. 

Few  tempers  are  proof  against  riot,  whether  it  proceed 
from  hounds  or  men,  in  the  act  of  trying  to  kill  a  fox;  and 
although  Mr.  Lambton's  temper  at  other  times  is  particular- 
ly placid,  and  although  I  had  no  opportunity  of  seeino-  it 
tr'.ed,  yet  I  was  given  to  understand  that  he  can  'serve  it  out' 
to  them  when  occasion  requires ;  and  upon  my  word  I  real- 
ly think  the  man  who  cannot  has  no  business  to  hunt  fox- 
hounds in  these  days.  He  would  be  something  like  the  Cap- 


108  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

tain  of  the  man  of  war  who  made  an  attempt  to  command 
his  crew  without  swearing,  and  told  the  sailor  to  put  out  the 
light.  Jack  did  *iot  obey  the  order  ;  but  the  moment  he 
heard  the  boatswain  call  out  '  d — n  your  eyes  dowse  the 
glim,'  the  light  was  out  in  an  instant.  Mr.  Lambton,  how- 
ever, does  not  swear,  but  gives  them  something  a  little 
piquant. 

Mr.  Lambton  rides  very  clever  horses,  and  gets  well  over 
a  country,  particularly  so  for  his  age:  for  although  Time 
has  laid  his  hand  gently  upon  him,  a  few  more  years  will 
bring  him  towards  the  grand  climacteric,  and  this  slackens 
the  pace  of  the  best  of  men. 

It  has  been  contended  that  servants,  as  huntsmen,  must  al- 
ways excel  gentlemen  hunting  their  own  hounds  '  but   why 
should  this  be  ?    'If  hunting  hounds  be  a  science  (and   who 
will  dispute  that  point  ?),  why  should  not  the  education   and 
theory  of  the  gentleman,  when  combined   with  his   profes- 
sional practice,  give  him  the  superiority,   instead  of  having 
a  contrary  effect?     I  am  here  alluding  to  a  comparison  that 
has  been  drawn  between  Mr.    Musters  and    Tom   Sebright, 
each  very  great  in  the  art ;  but  barring  kennel  management, 
in  which  gentlemen  huntsmen  cannot  be  expected  to   equal 
servants  who  are  hired  in  great  measure  for   that  purpose, 
and  for  a  great  part  of  their  time  have  little   else   to  do,  I 
confess  I  can  only  see  one  point  on  which  my  argument  is  at 
all  likely  to  give  way.     The  servant    huntsman    generally 
goes  through  the  regular  gradations  of  secondand  first  whip- 
per-in ;  and  although  I  have  heard  it  asserted  that  a  whip- 
per-in seldom  makes   a  good   huntsman,   experience   gives 
the  lie  to  that — most  of  our  first-rate  huntsmen  have  served 
that  office:  whereas  now  and  then  a  gentleman  puts  a  h,orn 
to  his  saddle,  and  assumes  the  command  all  at  once,  which 
has  given  to  some  of  them  the   various  titles   of  professors, 
heaven-born  huntsmen,  &c.     Now  I  conceive  Mr.  Muster's 
education  has  been  nearly  equal  to  that   of  any  huntsman 
alive.     His  father  kept  fox-hounds  upwards  of  thirty  years, 
hunting  parts  of  Nottinghamshire  and  Lincolnshire  ;  and  I 
have  heen  told  by  those  who  remembered  it  well,   that,  /or 
fourteen  or  fifteen  of  those  years,  (i.   e.   from  the   time  he 
could  bestride  his  fony  till  his  father  gave  up  the  fcounJs,) 
his  son  Jack  acted  as  whipper-in  whenever  occasion  required. 


YORKSHIRE.  109 

I  have  also  heard  from  very  good  authority,  that  when  Sir 
Henry  Harpur  purchased  the  late  Mr.  Musters's  hounds, 
and  the  noted  Shaw  began  to  hunt  them,  he  has  been  heard 
to  declare  that  he  frequently  received  more  assistance  in  a 
critical  moment  from  Mr:  John  Musters  than  from  either  of 
the  men  under  him. 

When  the  late  Mr.  Musters  gave  up  his  fox-hounds,  he 
kept  a  pack  of  harriers,  which  the  present  Mr.  Musters 
hunted  for  several  seasons;  but  during  this  period,  and  in- 
deed during  the  whole  ofhis  noviciate,  as  it  may  be  termed, 
he  was  in  the  constant  habit  of  hunting  with  the  celebrated 
Mr.  Meynell,  who  was  not  only  particularly  attached  to  him, 
but  partly  considered  him  as  his  pupil.  Indeed,  almost 
one  of  the  last  acts  of  the  sporting  life  of  this  '  great  man 
in  his  way '  was  making  a  present  to  Mr.  Musters  of  ten 
couples  of  his  prime  old  hounds  as  a  foundation  of  his  fu- 
ture pack. 

I  have  here  only  spoken  of  the  present  Mr.  Musters  with 
reference  to  his  performance  in  the  field.  Now  it  has  been 
justly  observed,  that  the  fuller,  the  dyer,  and  the  weaver, 
understand  not  each  other's  trades  ;  notwithstanding  which, 
between  them  all,  a  good  piece  of  cloth  is  manufactured. 
Thus  it  is  possible  that  a  person  may  be  a  superior  hunter 
of  hounds  in  the  field,  without  being  a  master-man  in  his 
kennelnand'yet  the  pack  he  hunts  may  be  turned  out  in  the 
very  best  style.  When  I  was  at  Pitsford,  it  was  the  end  of 
the  season  ;  the  favorite  bitches  were  gone  down  to  the 
Nottinghamshire  kennel,  and  the  thing  nearly  at  an  end. 
The  kennel  at  Pitsford  was  also  four  miles  from  Mr.  Mus- 
ters's house,  which  might  account  for  the  master's  eye  not 
being  over  it  so  often  as  might  be  desirable.  In  addition  to 
this,  he  had  for  his  head  whipper-in  Tom  Smith,  who  had 
hunted  Lord  Middleton's  pack  for  some  seasons  in  War- 
wickshire ;  and  he  also  had  his  house  full  of  company :  but, 
although  I  make  n,o  comparisons,  I  see  not  the  least  reason 
to  doubt  Mr.  Musters's  capability  to  perform  all  the  duties 
of  ahuntsman  equal  to  any  other  man  in  England.  In- 
deed I  will  go  farther  than  this,  and  say,  that,  cradled  as  he 
was  in  a  kennel,  he  would  be  almost  entitled  to  the  appella- 
tion of  a  stupid  fellow  had  he  not  perfected  himself  in  every 
department  of  the  art  of  breeding  and  feeding  hounds. 

VOL.    II.  10 


HO  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Now,  as  all  the  world  knows  he  is  anything  but  a  stupid  fel- 
low, and  with  zeal  enough  to  set  the  world  on  fire,  I  argue, 
logically,  that  he  must  be  a  good  kennel  huntsman  :  and  as 
to  his  performance  in  the  field,  not  another  word  need  be 
said  about  that.  Comparisons,  I  repeat,  are  odious  :  there- 
fore I  neither  compare  him  with  this  man  nor  with  that  ; 
but  I  hope  it  will  not  be  long  before  I  see  the  justly-cele- 
brated Tom  Sebright — who  by  all  accounts  is  a  charming 
fellow  in  the  field — partaking  of  all  the  animation  and  keen- 
ness of  his  preceptor,  Mr.  Musters,  with,  as  I  understand, 
a  great  share  of  the  '  instinctive  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  a 
fox.' 

In  the  life  of  Sornervile,  there  is  a  strange  expression 
from  the  pen  of  the  author — the  great  Dr.  Johnson.  'He 
writes,'  says  he,  '  very  well  for  a  gentleman}  Now  I  own 
I  do  not  exactly  comprehend  the  Doctor's  meaning;  for 
what  avails  an  expensive  education  unless  itsometimes  turns 
to  a  good  account,  particularly  as  relates  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  mind?  But  I  once  asked  a  very  eminent  sportsman 
what  was  his  opinion  of  gentlemen  huntsman  ?  and  he, 
gave  it  as  follows  ; — '  If  gentlemen1  said  he,  'have  been 
amongst  hounds  from  their  infancy,  and  will,  when  they 
take  the  management  of  them,  give  up  their  time  and 
attention  to  them,  the  same  as  a  common  man  who  is 
uneducated,  there  can  be  no  doubt  which  of  the  tv.'o  will 
make  the  best  huntsman;  but  the  fact  is,  most  gentleman 
who  hunt  hounds  have  not  been  sufficiently  amongst  them 
till  they  arrive  at  a  certain  time  of  life,  when  other  pursuits 
and  avocations  present  themselves,  and  then  they  do  not 
like  all  the  drudgery  of  the  office.  For  these  reasons, 
find  for  these,  alone,  we  see  but  few  good  gentlemen  hunts- 
men.' 

Were  I  to  be  asked  my  opinion  of  the  Sedgefield  country, 
I  should  almost  be  inclined  to  place  it  at  the  head  of  the 
provincials.  It  is  flat;  the  fields  are  of,  a  very  fair  size,  a 
great  portion  of  them  between  twenty  and  forty  acres,  and 
a  good  deal  of  very  old  sward  ;  it  abounds  in  whin  coverts 
— indeed  I  saw  scarcely  anything  else  ;  and  the  fences  for 
the  most  part  are  practicable.  To  South  country  horses 
they  may  be  a  little  awkward,  as  for  the  most  part  they  are 
placed  upon  banks,  and  the  V  stiles  are  frequent.  It  is  also 
considered  a  good  scenting  country,  as  most  countries  in 


YORKSHIRE.  Ill 

the  neighborhood  of  the  sea*  are :  and  it  must  be  favorable 
to  hounds,  as  there  are  no  large  coverts  in  which  they  can 
run  riot.  Thus  Mr.  Lambton's  hounds  are  particularly 
steady  and  handy,  to  a  degree  not  often  witnessed. 

I  consider  Durham  altogether  a  very  sporting  county. 
The  farmers  ride  good  horses,  the  greater  part  of  which 
they  breed  themselves,  beginning  the  cross  with  the  Cleve- 
land-bay mare.  There  was  one  part  of  their  rural  economy 
which  I  particularly  admired  ;  and  that  was,  I  never  saw  a 
real  cart  horse  in  the  principality  of  Durham.  They  make 
use  of  for  all  purposes  of  husbandry,  what  we  call  the 
strong  nag  horse,  so  much  quicker  in  his  step,  and  altogeth- 
er more  useful  than  the  heavy-legged,  slow-moving,  cart- 
horse that  we  are  doomed  to  employ  in  the  South,  and  to 
which  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  the  ruin  of  many  hun- 
dred small  farmers  is  to  be  traced.  It  may  scarcely  be  be- 
lieved, but  such  is  the  prejudice  of  carters  and  wagoners  in 
my  part  of  the  world  in  favor  of  these  long-tailed  heavy- 
legged  brutes,  that  they  will  wantonly  mal-treat  a  horse  of 
the  nag  kind  if  put  into  their  master's  stables  to  work  with 
the  others.  I  was  givein  to  understand,  that  had  I  visited 
Durham  some  years  back,  when  wheat  sold  for  better  prices, 
I  should  have  seen  more  well-mounted  yeomanry  than  at 
the  present  day,  the  times  having  taken  the  hunting  out  of 
some  of  them. 

The  eastern  side,  that  is,  from  the  Tees  to  the  Wear,  and 
so  on  to  the  sea-shore,  is  the  best  part  of  the  Sedgefield 
country  to  ride  over.  Here  is  a  good  deal  of  old  grass,  the 
fields  from  ten  to  fifty  acres  in  extent ;  and  although  the 
surface  of  the  land  appears  indifferent,  yet  being  upon  a 
limestone  subsoil,  with  the  benefit  of  a  humid  atmosphere 
from  sea  breezes,  a  pretty  good  scent  is  often  the  result,  t 
could  perceive  there  is  a  large  tract  of  this  sort  of  land,  well 
planted  with  whin  coverts  ;  but  the  most  likely  country  to  en- 
sure a  run  is  the  southern  side,  bounded  by  the  Tees,  and  ex- 
tending towards  Piercebridge,  in  Lord  Darlington's  Hunt. 
Here,  although  the  inclosures  are  smaller  and  the  fences 
stronger,  yet  the  land  is  greatly  superior,  and  consequently 

*  The  sea  is  not  more  than  ten  miles  from  the  kennel  at  Sedgefield 
as  the  crow  would  fly. 


1 12  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

more  to  be  depended  upon  for  a  scent.     It  was  this  side  of 
the  country  that  afforded  us  our  capital  day's  sport. 

There  are  sporting  peculiaries  in  almost  all  counties  I 
have  been  in.  Tn  the  one  I  live  in,  they  call  a  couple  and 
half,  or  three  hounds;  'aharl'  of  hounds;  and  in  Durham 
the  farmers  say,  hounds  'call'  or  'give  mouth'  when 
they  challenge,  or  throw  their  tongue  to  a  scent.  When 
analyzed,  however  there  will  appear  but  little  difference  in 
all  such  terms. 

Having  mentioned  Captain  Dundas  as  one  of  the  con- 
spicous  performers — until  the  last  mile,  when  nature  said 
'enough1 — in  our  fine  run  fron  Foxyhill,  and  he  being  also 
so  popular  a  character  in  the  Sedgefield  Hunt,  I  must  devote 
half  a  page  to  his  history,  and  I  flatter  myself  the  reader 
will  not  consider  the  time  misemployed. 

The  Honorable  George  Dundas,  brother  to  the  present 
Noble  Lord  of  that  name,  resides  at  Upleatham  in  York- 
shire, amidst  that  host  of  friends  which  honest  John  Bur- 
tell  inquired  after  so  kindly,  and  represents  the  Orkneys  in 
our  Senate.  He  belongs  to  that  profession  of  which  Eng- 
land is  so  proud,  and  looks  as  if  he  had  '  weathered  the 
storm.'  On  one  occasion  his  own  ship  was  blown  up*,  and 
he  had  the  ill  luck  to  see  three  thousand  brave  fellows  blown 
to  atoms  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  from  various  -other 
disasters.*  These  things,  however,  are  the  fate  of  war,  and 
are  set  down  to  the  general  account.  I  regret  to  say,  the 
Hon.  Captain  is  occasionally  a  severe  sufferer  by  the  gout, 
and  perhaps  none  the  better  for  foreign  climates;  but,  when, 
tolerably  well,  no  man  can  enjoy  himself  more.  To  the 
frankness  of  the  sailor  he  unites  the  address  of  the  man  of 
fashion  and  of  the  world ;  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  a 
more  agreeable  companion.  I  must  also  style  him — alth- 
ough a  sailor,  and  very  near-sighted — a  capital  hand  across 
a  country,  and  very  fond  of  a  bit  of  blood. 

Billy  Williamson  is  the   most   straight-forward   rider  of 

*  He  once  commanded  a  ninety-gun  ship,  when  she  took  fire  and 
blew  up.  He  remained  on  board  the  last  man,  when  finding  the  tire 
so  hot  that  he  could  stand  it  no  longer,  took  his  knife  out  of  his  pocket  t 
cut  off  his  trowsers,  and  pulling  off  his  coat,  committed  himself  to  the 
waves,  whence  he  was  picked  up,  unhurt,  by  his  men. 


YORKSHIRE.  1  13 

this  Hunt,  and  a  very  popular  character  wherever  he  goes. 
He  is  a  second  Ajax — fearless  and  intrepid  ;  and  being  six 
feet  high,  with  great  strength,  and  in  the  bloom  of  man- 
hood, he  is  just  the  man  to  get  to  hounds  over  a  stiff  coun- 
try, on  a  good  horse.  There  is,  however,  some  truth  in 
what  the  farmer  said  about  the  cast-iron  nag.  He  certainly 
is  too  severe  upon  his  horse,  and  does  not  pick  his  ground 
enough  for  a  man  of  his  weight  to  live  with  hounds  to  the 
end  of  a  good  run.  He  should  recollect  he  rides  fifteen 
stone,  and  is  what  is  called  long  in  the  leg — though  none, 
perhaps,  the  worse  for  that.  Billy  Williamson  is  one  of 
the  right  stamp  of  young  men,  and  I  wish  it  were  possible 
he  could  stock  half  the  counties  in  England  with  his  sort. 
We  are  hard  to  beat  now — at  least  I  hope  so  ;  but  then  we 
should  be  invincible. 

Mr.  Harland  of  Sutton  Hall  is  a  very  pretty  performer 
over  a  country,  and  had  a  very  neat  stud  for  a  man  of  his 
light  weight.  They  appeared  either  quite  thorough-bred 
or  within  a  toucher,  and  three  of  the  four  were  purchased 
of  Mr.  Ralph  Lambton. 

On  the  morning  of  Wednesday  the  13th  I  quitted  Sedge- 
field,  and  met  Mr.  Bowser's  harriers  about  four  miles 
from  Rushyford  Inn.  This  gentleman  resides  at  Bishop 
Auckland,  about  ten  miles  to  the  westward  of  Sedgefield, 
and  at  about  equal  distances  from  the  Raby  and  Sedgefield, 
Hunts.  He  himself  was  out  in  a  scarlet  coat;  but  his 
hounds  were  hunted  by  an  amateur,  and  what  in  this  part 
of  the  world  is  called  a  Statesman — Anglice,  a  Yeoman. 
The  Statesman  here  was  the  well-known  Tommy  Chap- 
man, whom  I  afterwards  saw  with  Lord  Darlington's 
hounds.  Knowing  him  to  be  a  sportsman,  I  tried  hard  to 
get  a  wrinkle  or  two  out  of  him  as  to  the  country,  &c.; 
but  John  Burrell's  lingo  is  plain  English  to  his,  and  noth- 
ing but  a  glossary  could  have  enabled  us  to  hold  sweet 
converse.  It  sometimes  happens  that  our  Southern  States- 
men are  difficult  to  comprehend;  but  Tommy  Chapman 
would  puzzle  the  Devil  himself  unless  he  were  bred  in 
Durham. 

On  this  day  I  recognized  in  the  field  the  young  Oxonian 
whose  horse  I  had  blooded  at  the  end  of  a  fine  day's  sport 
with  Sir  Thomas  Mostyn's  hounds  two  years  ago,  and  by 

VOL.    II.  10* 


114  XJM  ROD'S    HUNTING    TOCR. 

v:hich  the  life  of  the  poor  animal  was  saved.  I  did  not 
then  know  his  name,  but  found  it  to  be  Gregson,  and  was 
informed  that  he  had  a  pretty  property  in  that  part  of  th'e 
world,  was  likely  to  make  a  good  sportsman,  and  was  much 
patronised  by  Air.  Ralph  Larnbton. 

After  my  hare-hunting  with  Mr.  Bowser,  I  had  the  plea- 
sure of  visiting  Mr.  jQuncombe  Shafto  at  Whitworth  where 
a  large  party  was  assembled  among  whom  was  Mr.  Hart- 
land.  On  the  side  board  at  Whitworth  I  saw  several  racing 
cups.  They  were  won  by  a  horse  called  Whitworth,  by 
Agonistes — a  very  fair  racer,  and  the  sire  of  many  capital 
hunters.  Mr.  Shafto  still  breeds  thorough-bred  ones. 

Mr.  Thomas  Shafto  (commonly  called"  Tom  Shafto),  broth- 
er to  Mr.  Buncombe  Shafto,  is  a  very  conspicuous  charac- 
ter in  the  LambtonHunt,  and  may  be  truly  termed  adear  lov- 
er of  fox-hunting.  He  hasbefore  fallen  under  my  observation 
as  having  possessed,  as  well  as  having  made  a  hunter  of, 
that  very  celebrated  horse,  the  original  Clipper,  on  which 
that  fine  rider,  Mr.  Lindo,  for  so  many  years  starred  over 
Leicestershire.  The  temper  of  this  horse  was  very  violent, 
and  he  gave  Mr.  Shafto  a  great  many  falls  before  he  com- 
pleted his  education.  Falls,  we  know,  are  awkward  things, 
and  not  unfrequently  do  they  damp  the  ardor  of  young 
sportsmen,  and  give  them  a  distaste  for  the  rough,  though 
noble,  amusement  of  fox-hunting ;  but  when  I  relate  an 
anecdote  of  Mr.  Thomas  Shafto,  who  will  assert  that,  with 
such  men  as  himself,  broken  bones  or  fractured  skulls 
would  be  even  as  a  feather  in  the  scale  against  the  impass- 
ioned delight  of  this  noble  science? 

Twenty  years  since.  Mr.  Thomas  Shafto  was  a  Captain 
in  the  North  York  Militia,  and  quartered  in  the  Sister 
Kingdom.  Having  obtained  leave  of  absence,  he  took  his 
passage  in  a  Liverpool  packet,  and  attempted  to  cross  the 
Channel  on  his  return  to  England.  The  propelling  power 
of  steam  was  then  unknown — at  least  for  nautical  uses — 
and,  by  the  violence  of  adverse  winds,  the  vessel  could  not 
keep  her  course.  Being  driven  near  shore,  with  but  little 
prospect  of  weathering  it,  the  captain  of  the  packet  thought 
proper  to  apprise  his  passengers  of  their  imminent  peril — 
adding,  indeed.that  he  had  no  hopes  of  saving  them  from 
a  watery  grave  ! 

Captain  Shafto  was   accompanied  at  this  time  by  one  of 


YORKSHIRE.  115 

his  brother  officers,  and  both  heard  the  dreadful  tidings  at 
the  same  momenj:.  Captain  Johnson  fell  on  his  knees,  and 
began  to  implore  the  Throne  of  Grace  ;  and  doubtless  Cap- 
tain Shafto  did  the  same  as  soon  as  he  recovered  from  his 
dread  surprise.  But  such  is  the  infirmity  of  corrupt  na- 
ture, that  mortal  man  can  with  difficulty  renounce  the  plea- 
sures of  this  world,  or  persuade  himself  he  shall  find  still 
better  in  the  next ;  and  this  must  have  been  the  case  with 
Tom  Shafto.  There  cannot  be  a  doubt  but  on  this  trying 
occasion  Lord  Darlington  and  his  fox-hounds,  as  well  as 
his  friend  Ralph  Lambton,  flitted  across  his  fancy;  for  in 
the  agony  of  the  moment  he  did  not  exclaim,  like  the  jailor 
in  the  Bible,  '  What  shall  I  do  to  be.  saved? }  but,  sitting 
up  in  his  bed,  he  heaved  a  deep  sigh,  and  addressed  his 
brother  officer  in  the  following  words — '  I  say,  Bob,  no 
more  Uckenby  whin*  ! !'  Surely  this  was  the  ruling  passion 
strong  in  death  ! 

On  another  occasion,  Mr.  Thomas  Shafto  afforded  an 
instance  of  the  prevalence — we  might  almost  call  it  domin- 
ion— of  any  particular  gratification,  over  thought,  word,  and 
deed.  He  was  once  present  when  the  oratorical  powers  of 
some  of  our  leading  Senators  became  the  topic  of  discourse, 
and,  amongst  others,  Earl  Grey's  name  was  mentioned. 
'  A  good  speaker,'  observed  Tom  ;  '  but  he  can;t  ride  over 
Stanley  pastures.'  .At  another  time,  he  was  asked  why  he 
quitted  a  friend's  house  when  a  certain  family,  just  return- 
ed from  Paris,  came  to  pay  him  a  visit  ?  '  I  don't  like  them,' 
said  he  ;  '  they  are  half  French  half  English.1 

Mr.  Thomas  Shafto  is  a  single  man,  and  at  present  re- 
sides with  his  elder  brother  at  Whitworth.  He  is  an  excel- 
len%judge  of  a  horse ;  a  good  sportsman,  and  rider;  and 
what  is  more,  a  very  good  fellow.  To  the  eye  it  must  be 
allowed  he  has  some  personal  peculiarities — the  straight- 
cut  coat ;  boots  and  breeches  by  no  means  good ;  a  little  of 
his  friend  Sir  Tatton's  style  about  him  (by  no  means  a  bad 
one  !),  and  he  rides  a  race  nearly  as  well.  There  is  not  an 
atom  of  humbug  about  him;  but  if  there  was,  I  must  es- 
teem him  for  thinking  of  fox-hunting  in  his  last  moments 

*  A  favorite  covert  in  Lord  Darlington's  Hunt,  near  Catterick 
Bridge. 


116  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

— at  least,  in  what  he  had  reason  to  believe  would  be  his 
last. 

On  Thursday,  14th  of  December,  I  turned  my  back  up- 
on Durham,  and  went  to  visit  a  Shropshire  acquaintance, 
named  Flounders,  who  resides  at  Yarm.  I  was,  when  at 
his  house,  within  a  very  easy  distance  of  the  far-famed  Hur- 
worth  hounds  which  met  the  next  day  at  Croft  Bridge,  on 
the  Great  North  Road,  and  which  bridge  divides  the  coun- 
ties of  York  and  Durham.  As  it  was  I  was  too  late  for 
dinner  ;  but  I  at  one  time  despaired  of  getting  to  my  friend 
at  all,  and  by  a  circumstance  worth  naming. 

The  distance  from  Darlington  (which  I  passed  through) 
to  Yarm  is  five  miles,  for  which  I  allowed  myself  some- 
what about  half  an  hour,  the  road  being  none  of  the  best, 
but  I  did  not  reach  it  under  an  hour.  The  delay  arose 
from  my  meeting  something,  which  I  could  only  compare 
to  a  moving  hell.  Excuse  my  profaneness — if  such  it  can 
be  called — for  I  cannot  find  any  other  simile.  This  turned 
out  to  be  a  locomotive  steam-engine,  which  running  parallel 
with  and  close  to  the  road,  so  alarmed  my  hack,  that  it  was 
in  vain  that  I  tried  to  make  him  face  it.  This,  however,  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at ;  for  a  horse  is  naturally  a  timid  ani- 
mal, and  this  machine  was  enough  to  alarm  the  Devil  him- 
self, if  he  had  met  with  it,  as  my  horse  did.  out  of  his  own 
country.  The  night  was  dark,  which  increased  the  terrors 
of  it:  and  it  really  was  a  frightful  object.  The  noise  of  the 
wheels — perhaps  twenty  pairs — -the  working  of  the  engine, 
the  blazing  fires  of  blue  and  yellow  hues,  the  hissing  of  the 
steam,  and  the  black-faced  wretches,  with  their  red  lips  and 
white  teeth,  running  to  and  fro,  all  conspired  to  heighten 
the  resemblance,  and  my  astonishment  increased  the  more 
when  I  reflected  on  such  a  nuisance  as  this  being  suffered 
so  close  to  a  turnpike  road-  The  only  way  in  which  I  got 
past  it  at  last  was  to  get  my  horse  into  a  hole,  with  his 
tail  towards  the  machine,  but  I  never  saw  an  animal  so  al- 
armed. 

On  Friday  morning,  Mr.  Flounders  accompanied  me  to 
Croft  Bridge  to  meet  the  Hurvvorth  hounds,  which  place 
was  about  eight  miles  from  Yarm.  Our  road  led  us  through 
the  village  of  Hurworth,  within  a  short  distance  of  the  ken- 
nel, and  we  overtook  the  hounds  going  to  covert.  They 


YORKSHIRE.  117 

were  accompanied  only  by  Mr.  Wilkinson  and  his  whipper- 
in  ;  and  Mr.  Flounders  took  this  opportunity  of  introducing 
me  to  Mr.  Wilkinson.  I  found  him  very  much  what  I  ex- 
pected to  find  him — a  well-fed  Englishman,  with  a  back  as 
broad  as  those  of  three  of  our  dandies  put  together  ;  moun- 
ted on  a  finely  shaped  chesnut-horse,  looking  very  like  a 
hunter  to  carry  seventeen  stone  which  he  had  then  on  his 
back;  with  a  keen  eye  in  his  head,  and  a  very  intelligent 
countenance — strong,  to  be  sure,  in  the  dialect  of  his  coun- 
try, but  looking  very  much  like  a  sportsman. 

There  was  a  very  large  field  of  sportsmen  assembled  on 
this  day — amounting  to  at  least  one  hundred,  which  is  a 
very  unusual  circumstance  with  this  pack.  Mr.  Lambton's 
hounds,  however,  were  gone  from  Sedgefield,  and  Lord  Dar- 
lington's were  a  long  way  off;  so  it  was  supplied  by  the  gen- 
tiemem  of  those  Hunts,  many  of  whom  had  come  a  long 
distance  for  the  occasion. 

We  proceeded  to  draw  Dinsdale  Wood,  a  covert  of 
some  size,  and  situated  on  a  steep  hanging  bank.  Before 
throwing  in  his  hounds,  Mr.  Wilkinson  did  me  the  honor 
to  ask  me  to  accompany  him  into  the  wood,  and  see  him 
find  his  fox.  This  invitation  I  readily  accepted,  and  so  far 
I  was  much  gratified.  He  found  his  fox  instantly,  and  in 
very  excellent  style.  His  halloos  were  very  capital,  and 
his  ear  unsually  quick.  This  was  not  all.  We  had  a  very 
baffling  fox  on  foot — very  unwilling  to  break — and  his 
turns  were  short  and  frequent.  The  pack  and  their  master, 
however,  were  quite  a  match  for  him,  and  for  about  jive 
minutes,  the  scene,  witnessed  only  by  ourselves,  was  enchant- 
ing. '  Have  at  him,  Music,  good  bitch  !'  halloowed  Matty. 
'By  G — d  !  th'ast  better  gang  away,  for  thou'lt  die  if  thou 
don't.  Have  at  him  again,  Cruiser,  old  fellow!  but  thou'lt 
have  his  head  in  thy  mouth  before  neight*.'  Oh  !  that  I 
could  give  his  view-halloos  on  paper !  but  that  can't  be  done. 
They  were  enough  to  raise  a  man  from  the  dead  ! 

The.  bad  part  of  the  story  is  now  to  come.  Sportsman- 
like, Mr.  Wilkinson  wished  to  see  his  hounds  get  well 

*  Mr.  Wilkinson  told  me,  that  last  season  his  hounds  ran  a  fox 
twelve  miles  in  the  dark,  and  killed  him,  and  Cruiser  brought  his 
head  home  to  him  at  night. 


118  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

away  with  their  fox,  and  therefore  stood  still  and  blew  hi? 
horn ;  but  he  should  have  ridden  on,  and  blown  his  horn ; 
for  when  we  got  to  the  top  of  the  covert,  not  a  hound,  except  a 
few  that  were  with  us,  could  we  get  sight  of.  '  I  know  where 
they  are  gone,'  said  Mr.  Wilkinson;  'you  must  follow  me, 
for  we  shall  never  get  over  that  stell*.'  1  did  follow  him, 
and  he  took  me  to  an  awkward  ford;  but  we  might  just  as 
well  have  gone  around  by  York.  The  hounds  had  a  capi- 
tal run  of  an  hour,  and  killed  their  fox,  but  only  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  chosen  few,  who  were  bold  enough  and  fortunate 
enough  to  get  well  over  this  awkward  stell — Billy  William- 
son, I  believe,  being  the  first  to  charge  it.  It  was  deep  and 
rotten,  and  the  change  that  was  effected  in  the  color  of  the 
ci-devant  white-cords  of  those  gentlemen  who  dropped 
short  at  it  plainly  showed  what  sort  of  a  bottom  it  had. 

Two  things  were  now  evident ;  I  was  quite  sure  they 
were  in  for  a  run,  and  I  was  equally  sure  I  should  see  noth- 
ing of  it  unless  let  in  by  some  lucky  turn.  I  did  not,  how- 
ever, quit  my  pilot;  but  strange  to  say,  I  rode  for  exactly 
one  hour  about  fifty  yards  behind  him,  without  ever  hear- 
ing the  tongue  of  a  hound  until  within  the  last  ten  minntes. 
When  we  did  get  up  to  them,  the  thing  was  over ;  the  who- 
whoop  was  only  wanting ;  they  had  not  tasted  him,  but  he 
was  dead  beat,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  Matty  had  him 
by  the  brush.  It  must  have  been  a  beautiful  run  for  those 
who  saw  it.  The  pace  was  excellent,  and  the  country  was 
very  good  indeed  for  the  provincials. 

I  had  two  reasons  why  I  did  not  regret  this  wrong  turn, 
at  first  starting.  First,  I  and  my  horse  might  have  been 
planted  in  the  stell ;  and  secondly,  it  was  a  great  treat  to 
me  to  see  Matty  Wilkinson  and  his  chesnut  horse  get  over, 
or,  1  should  rather  say,  creep  over,  upwards  of  a  hundred 
fences,  in  the  very  masterly  manner  in  which  they  both  per- 
formed. He  has  ridden  this  horse  three  seasons  without 
having  had  a  fall  from  him;  and  when  I  saw  him  creeping 
over  his  fences,  which  appeared  nothing  to  him,  whilst  my 
horse  was  flying  over  them,  and  afraid  to  touch  a  thorn,  I 
almost  envied  his  weight.  Certain,  however,  is  it,  that  hun- 
ters carrying  heavy  men  do  walk  into  their  fences  in  a  most 

*  Anglice  a  brook. 


YORKSHIRE.  119 

enviable  manner,  although  indeed,  if  they  did  not  walk  into 
them,  they  could  never  gallop  across  a  deep  country  for  an 
hour  and  a  hundred  fences  into  the  bargain. 

I  really  was  much  pleased  with  the  scientific  manner  in 
which  Mr.  Wilkinson  and  his  horse  crossed  the  country  in 
this  hour's  gallop.  We  exchanged  but  few  words  with  each 
other — with  the  exception  of  his  telling  me  he  was  too 
heavy  for  a  huntsman  and  an  occasional  lamentation  of  our 
ill  luck.  Matty,  however,  once  addressed  his  horse,  and  it 
had  the  desired  effect.  We  came  to  a  very  awkward  fence, 
a  wide  ditch  from  us,  and  no  footing  for  our  horses  but 
among  some  strong  stubs.  '  Tak  time,  lad,'  said  Matty. 
The  lad*  did  take  time,  and  did  it  like  a  workman.  To- 
wards the  end  of  our  gallop  we  came  to  another  still  worse 
place.  It  was  high  and  stiff,  and  near  to  a  tree.  Matty  rode 
up  at  it,  and  not  liking  it  stood  looking  at  it.  'Shall 
I  try  and  pull  down  those  strong  binders?'  said  I. 
'No,  no,'  replied  Matty,  'we'll  gang  at  it;'  and  over 
he  went,  at  a  good  hand  gallop.  All  his  fences  but  this 
were  taken  either  at  a  stand  or  in  a  walk.  In  his  gallop 
he  stood  up  in  his  stirrups,  reminded  me  much  of  the  New 
Forest  Harbin,  and  I  think  there  is  very  little  difference  in 
the  waistbands  of  their  breeches.  Cassar  wished  Cassius 
were  fatter,  but  here  this  wish  were  vain. 

This  certainly  was  a  good  run,  and  a  good  finish.  We 
drew  again,  and  three  foxes  all  broke  covert  at  the  same 
moment;  but  we  did  nothing  worth  speaking  of,  although 
they  tasted  one  of  them. 

After  hunting  this  day  I  had  the  pleasure  of  dining  at 
Hutton  Bonville,  near  Northallerton,  the  sent  of  Colonel 
Towers.  Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together;  and  here  I 
was  under  the  roof  of  a  man  as  fond  of  hounds  and  every- 
thing belonging  to  them  as  myself.  His  father  kept  fox- 
hounds thirty-five  years  at  his  own  expense;  and  his  lady 
is  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Baker,  of  Elemore  Hall,  near  Dur- 
ham, one  of  the  keenest  sportsmen  of  his  own  or  any  other 
man's  day.  Worse  is  the  luck,  he  is  now  past  the  age  of 

*  This  reminds  me  of  an  anecdote  of  a  capital  old  sportsman — 
Johnny  Wynne  of  Ryton — in  Sir  Richard  Puleston's  country.  He 
rode  a  very  good  black  horse  about  fifteen  seasons,  but  he  never  called 
him  anything  but '  the  colt." 


120  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

man;  but  is  still  to  be  seen  by  the  covert's  side  when  the 
place  of  meeting  is  near  Elemore :  and  only  three  years 
ago  he  rode  Jenny  Homer  at  Middleham  for  the  Hun- 
ters' Stakes  (gentlemen  riders),  and  won  his  race,  in 
style. 

Saturday,  16th. — Having  left  two  horses  at  Norton  Con- 
yers,  I  met  Lord  Darlington's- hounds  on  this  day  at  Firby; 
about  three  miles  from  Newton  House.  It  rained  very 
hard  when  I  left  Hutton  Bonville,  and  when  I  got  to  the 
place  of  meeting  I  found  neither  Greatcoat  nor  mud  boots 
had  had  the  desired  effect.  I  was  '  spoiled  for  the  day,'  as 
the  dandies  have  it.  We  had  no  sport  in  the  morning — 
great  part  of  which  was  passed  by  Mr.  Milbanke's  fire-side, 
waiting  foi  the  rain  to  abate — but  a  most  agreeable  evening 
at  Mr.  John  Monson's,  where  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  was 
staying,  and  two  or  three  more  of  Mr.  M.'s  friends.  Amongst 
them  was  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Wyvill,  Member  for 
York,  whose  manly  and  independent  speeches  in  Parlia- 
ment I  had  often  read  and  admired.  There  is  a  vast  deal 
of  the  native  Englishman  about  this  Mr.  Wyvill,  and  a 
very  considerable  share  of  talent ;  and  — what  rendered 
him  in  no  wise  less  estimable  in  my  eyes — he  has  always 
been  a  good  friend  to  fox-hounds.  He  hunted  until  he 
turned  the  scale  against  twenty  two  stone,  and  that  stops  all 
men  except  old  Harbin  and  John  Ward. 

Sunday,  17th. — Returned  to  my  old  quarters  at  Norton 
Conyers,  and  was  happy  to  hear  that  Lord  Darlington:s 
hounds  had  had  some  pretty  sport  in  my  absence.  I  was 
also  glad  to  find  Sir  Bellingham  in  better  health,  and  his 
stud  recovering  from  some  bangs  and  bruises  that  horses 
will  get  when  riden  straight  over  a  close  country.  I  had 
also  the  pleasure  to  hear,  on  good  authority,  that  the  Friday 
after  our  capital  run,  the  Lambton  hounds  had  another  tick- 
ler in  their  home  country,  which  again  produced  many 
alarming  symptoms  among  the  horses,  and  several  awkward 
excuses  from  their  riders. 

Monday,  18th — Lord  Darlington's  hounds  met  at  Catter- 
ick  Lime  Kilns,  sixteen  or  seventeen  miles  from  Norton 
Conyers  :  but  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  fought  shy.  Like 
all  old  masters  of  fox-hounds  the  pleasure  of  hunting  with 
any  other  man's  pack  is  not  sufficient  to  make  him  right 


YORKSHIRE.  »  121 

keen,  so  I  lost  the  pleasure  of  his  company.  We  found  two 
if  not  three,  foxes  in  T'lnstall  whin,  and  one  went  away 
over  a  good  country.  The  Peer,  however,  was  not  aware 
of  it,  and  having-  the  body  of  the  hounds  with  himself  in 
the  whin,  Will  Price  got  forward  and  stopped  those  that  went 
away.  But  for  this,  we  might  have  had  a  run,  although 
there  was  but  a  middling  scent.  I  thought  this  looked  like 
a  good  country  for  a  good  fox.  We  found  again,  but  he 
ran  very  short,  and,  being  twenty  miles  from  home,  I  left 
about  three  o'clock. 

As  one  of  the  field  was  going^to  Bedale,  and  my  hack 
was  there,  I  put  myself  under  his  protection,  for  I  was  in  a 
strange  country.  Our  road  lay  through  the  Duke  of  Leed's 
domain,  Hornby  Castle,  and  I  was  surprised  to  find  such  a 
great  extent  of  grazing  land.  For  several  miles  before  we 
came  to  the  park,  we  rode  across  so  many  large  grass  fields 
that  I  fancied  myself  going  over  Leicestershire.  The  Cas- 
tle appeared  a  fine  building  as  we  passed  within  a  mile  of 
it,  but  my  attention  was  arrested  by  the  immense  number  of 
bridle  gates  on  this  domain,  amounting,  I  was  told,  to  many 
more  than  a  thousand.  These  were  put  up  when  his  Grace 
kept  harriers  ;  and,  with  a  small  field,  such  as  generally  at- 
tend hounds  of  that  description,  would  almost  preclude  the 
necessity  of  leaping.  The  Duke  ivas  out  only  twice  when 
I  was  in  the  country,  and  then  I  thought  he  seemed  more 
attentive  to  what  his  training  groom  had  to  say  to  him  than 
to  anything  else  going  on  in  the  field.  His  Grace,  how- 
ever, is  a  preserver  of  foxes,  and  therefore  long  may  he 
live ! 

Tuesday,  19. — Met  the  Hurworth  at  the  third  mile-stone 
from  Northallerton  on  the  Boroughbridge  road.  We  soon 
found  a  fox,  and  the  hounds  had  a  good  run,  marking  him  to 
ground  in  Lord  Darlington's  country;  but  no  one  saw  it 
after  the  first  three  miles,  and  very  few  so  far,  for  the  pace 
was  tremendous,  and  the  fences  awful.  What  floored  us  all, 
however,  was  the  river  Swale,  which  the  fox  crossed,  after 
having  previously  passed  the  Wisk,  at  which  Sir  Belling- 
ham  got  a  floorer.  Some  of  the  horsemen  were  ferry'd 
over  the  Swale;  but  as  we  met  Will  Price,  who  was  cross- 
ing the  country  in  pursuit  of  one  of  Lord  Darlington's  ter- 
riers that  was  lost,  and  who  informed  us  the  hounds  were 
VOL.  u.  1 1 


122  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

full  four  miles  a  head,  running  very  hard,  myself  and  a 
great  many  more  did  not  go  into  the  boat.  We  knew  there 
was  no  draw  for  a  second  fox,  and  therefore  it  appeared  use- 
less. 

This  was  decidedly  the  best  scenting  day  I  saw  through- 
out the  last  season  ;  but  I  am  sorry  to  add  it  terminated  un- 
fortunately. Mr.  Wilkinson  violated  the  rules  of  fox-hun- 
ting, by  bolting  his  fox  from,  and  killing  him  on,  one  of 
Lord  Darlington's  earths,  but  a  short  distance  from  his  ken- 
nel door. 

This  day,  after  hunting,  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  and 
myself  went  on  a  visit  to  Newton  House,  where  we  met 
several  of  our  spurting  friends.  We  found  our  noble  host 
a  good  deal  annoyed  by  the  report  that  had  reached  him  of 
a  fox  being  bolted  and  killed  from  one  of  his  own  earths; 
and  much  as  I  may  respect  Mr.  Wilkinson  as  a  sportsman, 
I  must  not  attempt  to  justify  him  here.  He  has  been  a 
master  of  fox-hounds  many  years,  and  we  might  as  well 
assert  that  Lord  Eldon  knew  nothing  of  the  laws  of  his 
Court,  as  that  Mr.  Wilkinson  was  ignorant  of  the  fox- 
hunting code.  A  huntsman  has  a  prescriptive  right  to  hunt 
his  fox  into  another  man's  country,  and  to  kill  him,  if  he 
can,  by  catching  him  above  ground;  but  the  moment  he 
earths,  that  moment  he  is  in  his  castle,  and  is  inviolable.  I 
repeat,  that  Mr.  Wilkinson  could  not  have  been  ignorant  of 
the  rule,  and  he  ought  not  to  have  killed  this  fox.  It  is  a 
reflection  upon  him  as  a  sportsman  ;  but  I  am  told  he  made 
an  acknowledgment  of  his  error,  and  therefore  no  more 
must  be  thought  of  it.  '  To  err  is  human  ;  to  forgive  di- 
vine.' 

As  we  were  drinking  our  wine  after  dinner,  at  Newton 
House,  and  this  subject  was  in  discussion,  I  embraced  the 
opportunity  of  ascertaining  whether  my  notions  respecting 
it  were  correct.  I  did  not  appeal  to  Lord  Darlington,  al- 
though so  much  the  older  sportsman  of  the  two,  but  I  ad- 
dressed myself  to  Sir  Bellingham  Graham,  as  having  hun- 
ted six  or  seven  different  countries,  and  therefore  more 
competent  to  decide  the  question  generally.  He  gave  us  a 
clincher.  '  I  was  once  out,'  said  he,  '  with  Lord  Lonsdale 
in  Leicestershire,  and  we  ran  a  fox  into  a  spout  in  the 
Q.uorn  country.  He  was  to  be  seen,  and  almost  to  be 


YORKSHIRE.  123 

touched,  but  the  whipper-in  could  not  bolt  him  without  mov- 
ing two  or  three  stones.  '  Don't  touch  them,'  said  Lord  L.; 
and  Slack  was  ordered  to  take  his  hounds  away.  The  ex- 
ample of  this  old  and  good  sportsman  is  worthy  of  being 
imitated. 

I  was  amused  with  the  effect  the  murder  of  this  fox  had 
upon  Dick,  Lord  Darlington's  first  whipper-in.  It  appear- 
ed to  affect  him  quite  as  much  as  his  lal'e  bad  fall,  and,  with 
'  a  face  as  long  as  my  arm,'  he  told  me,  he  thought  it  a  very 
ungenteel  action. 

Wednesday,  20th. — Lord  Darlington  met  at  Flyntorf. 
We  drew  the  famous  Uckenby  whin  blank,  and  then  on  to 
Pepper  Hall,  the  seat  of  the  Hon.  Colonel  Arden :  neither 
the  Colonel  nor  his  foxes  were  at  home:  nor  indeed  could  I 
see  any  lying  fora  fox,  but  there  is  a  fine  country  here. 
One  of  my  horses  having  been  taken  ill  at  Northallerton,  I 
quitted  about  two  o'clock,  and  lost  a  pretty  burst  of  twenty- 
five  minutes,  with  a  kill.  It  was  late  when  Lord  Darling- 
ton and  his  party  returned  to  Newton  House,  having 
had  a  trot  of  nearly  twenty  miles  in  rain  and  dark- 
ness. 

Thursday,  21st. — Sir  Bellingham  Graham  returned  home, 
but  I  remained  at  Newton  House,  intending  to  quit  the  next 
day  for  Melton  Mowbray.  The  Glasgow  mail  would  have 
picked  me  up  at  his  Lordship's  gates  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  and  I  should  have  been  in  very  good  time  for  the 
Q,uorn  hounds  the  next  morning,  having  had  the  promise 
of  a  mount  for  that  day  and  the  next.  The  coach,  however, 
was  full,  so  that  speculation  failed. 

This  was  a  day  of  note  in  the  annals  of  fox-hunting.  It 
produced  that  brilliant  run  with  Lord  Anson's  hounds  from 
Enderby,  in  Leicestershire,  the  seat  of  Mr.  Loraine  Smith. 
Young  Peyton,  as  he  is  called,  went  to  the  end  of  it;  but 
his  famous  mare  Edgecot  paid  the  forfeit  of  her  life;  and 
I  believe  Mr.  Braithwaite  likewise  saw  him  killed.  Lord 
Anson  was  also  near  doing  the  same  at  the  expense  of  two 
tired  and  one  dead  horse  :  but  it  was  awfully  severe.  The 
finish,  I  am  told,  was  grand,  as  the  death  took  place  in  the 
castle  at  Ashby  de  la  Zouch,  in  Derbyshire,  fifteen  miles 
point  blank  from  Enderby — best  pace  all  the  way.  I  saw 
Mr.  Loraine  Smith  in  London  in  the  spring,  and  he  told  me 


124          MMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

he  had  built  a  triumphal  arch  on  the  spot  which  produced 
so  gallant  a  fox,  and  a  run  well  deserving  of  a  record  be- 
yond the  day. 

There  is,  generally  speaking,  something  irresistibly  amus- 
ing in  the  active  workings  of  immoderate  zeal ;  and  par- 
ticularly so  when  the  object  in  pursuit  is  of  an  agreeable 
nature,  and  one  with  which  we  ourselves  can  sympathise. 
The  truth  of  this,  will,  I  thinlc,  be  exemplified  in  a  short 
account  1  am  enabled  to  give  of  Mr.  Matthew  Wilkinson, 
as  a  master  of  fox-hounds  and  a  sportsman — in  the  style 
and  character  of  the  Old  School. 

Mr.  Matthew  Wilkinson  is  the  youngest  of  three  broth- 
ers, two  of  whom  are  now  alive  and  are  the  representatives 
of  a  family  long  seated  in  the  county  of  Durham,  and  pos- 
sessing property,  amounting,  as  I  was  informed,  to  some- 
what better  than  2000Z.  per  annum  in  land.  To  distinguish 
their  Chrislian  names  requires  a  short  preface.  All  who 
are  acquainted  with  the  customs  and  manners  of  the  north- 
ern counties  of  this  Island  are  aware,  that  in  them  John  is 
called  Johnny ;  William  Willy]  Thomas,  Tommy]  Matth- 
ew, Matty  ]  and  soon,  adding  the  y  to  the  termination  of 
every  name  that  can  receive  it,  and  otherwise  corrupting  it 
when  the  ydoes  not  sound  prettily  to  the  ear.  Thus,  then,  the 
elder  of  these  brothers,  Thomas,  was  called  Tommy]  the 
second,  Lozalure,  is  dubbed  ;  Lozzy,  and  still  farther  cor- 
rupted by  his  particulars;  and  \latthewisknownbyno 
other  appellation  than  Matty  or  Maltha  Wilkinson,  maister 
of  and  hootsman  to  the  Hunvorth  Hounds.  These  are 
what  critics  term  '  the  abortions  of  familiarities ;'  but  it 
would  be  useless  to  adopt  any  other  phraseology;  so 
I  shall  take  the  liberty  of  adhering  to  the  vulgar 
tongue. 

The  Hurworth  Hounds  were  originally  harriers,  but 
were  promoted  to  fox-hounds  thirty-six  years  ago,  nearly 
thirty  of  which  they  were  kept  at  his  sole  expense  by  the 
elder  brother  Tommy/who  died  about  seven  years  back. 
Tommy,  I  was  informed,  had  the  advantages  of  education, 
was  a  very  superior  sportsman  and  his  view-halloo,  which 
was  magnificent,  is  said  to  be  still  echoed  in  Hutton  Ranby 
Woods.  Lozzy  comes  next  in  the  first  page  of  the  Family 
Bible.  He  resides  at  Heigington,  not  far  from  Rushyford, 


YORKSHIRE.  125 

but  about  ten  miles  from  the  kennel,  and  of  course  contrib- 
utes to  the  expense  of  the  hounds.  He  is  very  keen  ;  ride  ; 
any  distance  to  covert — in  the  old  style — on  his  hunters 
and  thinks  lightly  of  twenty-five  miles  home  in  the 
dark  after  a  good  run.  He  also  is  esteemed  a  fair  sports- 
man. 

Matty,  however,  is  the  hero  of  my  tale;  and  his  charac- 
ter is  described  in  a  few  words.  He  boasts  of  no  scholas- 
tic education,  no  collegiate  reading  ;  neither  does  he  appear 
to  be  much  under  the  discipline  of  art.  But  of  this  he 
may  be  proud — he  keeps  a  pack  of  fox-hounds  on  perhaps 
smaller  means  than  almost  any  other  man  in  England; 
and  he  is  acknowledged  by  all  to  be  as  good  a  rough-ami 
ready  sportsman  as  ever  halloo'd  to  a  hound.  He  is  like- 
wise much  esteemed  amongst  his  neighbors  as  a  kind-hear- 
ted man — a  character,  indeed,  true  sportsman  for  the  most 
part  lay  claim  to  and  maintain. 

I  did  not  see  the  Hurworth  kennel;  but  it  is  situated  at 
Measham,  about  five  miles  from  Darlington,  and  [  am  told 
is  not  badly  arranged  for  convenience  and  health  of  hounds. 
Here  Tommy,  the  whipper-in  and  feeder — one  and  the 
same  man — with  his  wife  and  six  children,  have  their  dwell- 
ing ;  and  by  way  of  preventing  riot  by  night,  a  small  trap- 
door opens  close  to  Tommy's  head  when  in  bed,  through 
which  either  himself  or  his  wife,  which  ever  may  be  awake, 
can  rate  the  hounds,  and  put  all  quiet  in~an  instant.  Me- 
thinks  I  hear  Lady  Londonderry  exclaim,  '  Heavens  !  how 
can  people  bear  to  be  so  near  those  nasty  dogs!  What  a 
stench  there  must  be  !' — Not  a  bit  of  it,  my  Lady  !  To 
Tommy  and  his  wife  it  is  all  lavender  water;  and,  should 
the  wind  set  that  way,  and  waft  into  their  chamber  a  little 
of  the  kennel  perfume,  it  would  only  be  to  them, 

'  Like  the  sweet  South. 
That  breaks  upon  a  bank  of  violets, 
Stealing  and  giving  odor.' 

In  everything  relating  to  the  passion  for  hunting,  Mr. 
Matthew  Wilkinson  may  have  his  equal,  but  his  superior 
would  be  difficult  to  produce.  His  attachment  to  his  hounds 
is  almost  beyond  belief.  He  has  always  some  of  his  favor- 

VOL.    II.  *11 


126  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

ites  walking  about  his  house;  and  to  a  bitch  with  whelps 
he  will  give  as  much  as  she  can  eat  of  a  good  sirloin  of 
beef  or  leg  of  mutton  from  his  own  table.  I  had  it  on  un- 
questionable authority,  that,  although  he  keeps  ten  or  twelve 
cows,  the  whelps  in  the  spring  have  all  the  best  milk,  and 
nothing  but  sky-blue  is  allowed  for  the  house  !  I  was  also 
informed,  that  it  has  been  his  practice  to  keep  a  tame  fox, 
which  would  run  about  the  house  and  buildings  for  the  ed- 
ification of  the  puppies  as  soon  as  they  were  able  to  follow 
him.  He  keeps  but  four  hunters  for  himself  and  Tommy, 
and  his.stable  system  is  this — His  horses  are  never  phy- 
sicked, neither  are  they  gallopped  in  their  exercise — having, 
as  he  observes,  '  plenty  of  gallopping  when  they  hunt.'  In. 
corn,  their  bellies  form  the  measure. 

Death  and  its  terrors  kick  the  beam  when  put  into  the 
scale  against  Matty  Wilkinson's  passion  for  the  chase.  Al- 
though he  cannot  swim,  no,  not  even  a  little,  he  has  crossed 
that  rapid  and  deep  river  Tees  at  least  forty  times  in  his  life 
after  his  hounds,  and  has  had  some  -hair  breadth  escapes. 
Very  soon  after  I  was  in  his  country,  he  was  in  the  great- 
est danger  of  being  drowned.  He  plunged  into  this  stream 
when  swelled  with  rain,  and  was  unhorsed  in  the  middle  of 
it.  Fortunately  catching  hold  of  one  of  the  stirrups,  his 
horse  dragged  him  out,  but  1  believe  it  was  what  is  called 
'  a  very  near  go.'  When  he  had  run  his  fox  to  ground,  he 
coolly  laid  himself  down  on  his  back,  and  held  up  his  heels, 
to  let  the  water  run  out  of  his  boots.  1  should  like  to  see  a 
picture  of  him  on  another  occasion  similar  to  this,  when  head- 
dressed  theboys on  the  bank  toascertain  what  injury  fl  certain 
part  of  his  clothes  had  met  within  the  water.  I  must  not  write 
what  beauty  would  blush  to  read,  so  dare  not  repeat  the  ques- 
tion asked,  but  it  was  a  most  ludicrous  one.  For  the  same 
reason,  I  must  suppress  the  answer  he  made  his  brother 
Tom.  who  told  him  he  thought  the  fox  was  not  gone  'up 
wind;  '  but  it  will  not  be  forgotten  in  Durham  till  time  shall 
be  no  more. 

I  very  much  fear  this  gallant  sportsman  will  one  of  these 
days  change  time  for  eternity  in  his  attempts  to  cross  this 
rapid  river.  Indeed,  on  his  late  escape,  his  brother  Lozzy 
seriously  admonished  him  of  the  impending  danger;  but 
all  the  notice  taken  of  the  salutary  hint  was,  '  My  life  is  my 
own,  and  /  suppose  I  may  do  what  I  like  with  it !' 


YORKSHIRE.  127 

A  polish  weakens  the  vigor  of  native  powers.  Eton  and 
Cristchurch  might  have  spoiled  Matty  Wilkinson,  and  de- 
prived him  of  his  niche  in  the  Temple  of  Fame.  It  is  the  na- 
tive simplicity,  the  original  character,  that  pleases  here,  as 
the  wilds  of  the  forest  are  superior  to  the  parterres  of  the 
flower  garden  ;  and  there  are  on  record  some  most  amus- 
ing and  characteristic  anecdotes  of  this  infatuated  sports- 
man. As  I  have  before  stated,  I  cannot  relate  them  all,  nei- 
ther would  one  or  two  look  well  in  print. 

When  Mr.  Matthew  Wilkinson's  eldest  brother  was  on 
his  death-bed,  he  was  asked  by  a  friend  for  the  fixtures  of 
the  forthcoming  week.  His  reply  was  this :  '  Why  Tom- 
my is  v*y  Hi,  and  if  Tommy  dees  we  can't  hunt  till  Mon- 
day ;  but,  if  Tommy  don't  dee,  we  shall  hunt  at on 

Friday.'  A  brother  sportsman  died,  and  left  Matty  five 
pounds  to  purchase  a  black  coat  to  his  memory.  Matty 
purchased  a  red  one,  thinking  thereby  he  had  shown  still 
greater  respect  to  his  departed  friend. 

It  is  but  natural  to  suppose,  that,  fond  as  Mr.  Matthew 
Wilkinson  is  of  hounds,  and  having  but  a  short  kennel  of 
them,  he  is  very  much  afraid  of  their  being  ridden  over, 
not  only  in  chase,  but  in  drawing  over  the  country.  A 
gentleman  was  one  day  very  near  to  them. — '  Take  care  of 
the  hounds,  Sir,'  said  Matty. — '  Oh  !'  replied  the  gentleman 
'my  horse  never  kicks  hounds.'  'Perhaps  not,  Sir,',  re- 
plied Matty  in  his  dry  way,  'but  he  may  tread  on  their 
tails.'  On  another  occasion  a  young  and  zealous  fox-hun- 
ter was  riding  too  near  his  darlings  in  chase.  Matty  check- 
ed him.  He  was  again  on  the  line.  Matty  rated  him  again; 
and  at  last  insisted  upon  his  riding  behind  himself.  The 
young  one  acquiesced,  and  so  went  on  till  towards  the  >nd 
of  the  run,  when  Matty's  mare  began  to  flag.  '  Get  for- 
ward, Sir,'  said  Matty;  '  ride  as  hard  as  you  can.'  '  Zounds !' 
said  the  young  one;  'did  you  not  tell  me  I  was  to  ride  be- 
hind you,?'  '  Why  yes,  1  did,'  said  Matty  ;  '  but  you  may 
gang  along  now,  as  mayhap  you'll  tice  my  old  mare  after 
thee.' 

Matty  once  came  to  a  brook — I  beg  pardon,  a  stell. — 
which  he  did  not  like  to  ride  at,  so  walked  through  it,  and 
told  his  whipper-in  (Tommy)  to  turn  the  old  mare  to  him. 


128  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

The  old  mare  would  not  have  it ;  so  what  was  to  be  done  1 
'  Turn  thy  own  over,  Tommy,'  said  his  master,  'and  then 
mine  will  follow.' — Tommy's  horse  got  over;  but  the  old 
mare  would  not  look  at  it.  What  was  now  to  be  done  ? 
The  hounds  were  running  hard.  Why,  the  master  jumped 
upon  the  man's  horse  and  rode  away  to  his  hounds,  Tommy 
exclaiming,  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  him,  '  Dom  thee 
for  a  . . .,  but  that's  not  fair  !' 

I  have  aj ready  stated  that  Mr.  Matthew  Wilkinson  is  not 
much  under  the  discipline  of  art.  He  might  say  with  a  cer- 
tain great  personage,  '  By  the  grace  of  God,  I  am  what  I 
am;'  but  from  all  I  had  heard  of  himself  and  his  man,  of 
the  Rhinoceros  breeches  and  the  oil-skin  hat,  the  ddd  spur, 
the  new  fashioned  whip,  and  other  specimens  of  '  d — n  all 
dandies  school,'  I  was  prepared  to  meet  with  something  still 
more  out  of  the  common  way.  This,  however,  was  not  the 
case.  Tommy  with  the  exception  of  his  topper,  was  as  well 
rigged  as  any  whipper-in  for  a  rough  country  need  to  be; 
and  as  for  the  Squire,  although  perhaps  it  might  be  as  well 
to  stop  the  letter  M,  and  call  him  Matty  and  not  Natty,  yet 
there  was  nothing  extraordinary  in  his  appearance.  Some 
there  a,re  who  cannot  reconcile  themselves  to  the  innova- 
tions of  fashion,  and  Mr.  Matthew  Wilkinson  appears  to  be 
one ;  but  with  reverence  be  it  spoken,  he  is  a  good  sports- 
man, and  what  matters  the  cut  of  his  coat ! 

Where  is  the  tongue — where  is  the  pen — where  is  the 
pencil  that  can  describe  to  the  life?  It  would  be  a  vain  at- 
tempt to  do  so  here;  and  my  readers  must  either  journey  to 
Durham,  or  picture  to  themselves  Mr.  Matthew  Wilkinson. 
They  will  see  before  them,  or  they  may  fancy  they  see,  an 
English  sportsman  of  the  old  stamp — keen  beyond  words  ; 
resolute  and  daring  in  his  favorite  pursuit;  and  of  a  frame 
not  of  the  doubtful  gender,  but  manly  and  powerful,  and 
formed  for  hardships — not  quite  so  heavy  as  the  great  John 
Ward,  nor  with  a  countenance  quite  so  expressive. 

Mr.  M.  Wilkinson  is  esteemed  a  very  superior  huntsman 
as  far  as  the  working  of  his  hounds  is  concerned,  as  also 
assisting  them  in  recovering  a  scent.  His  great  weight, 
however  (full  seventeen  stone),  precludes  the  possibility  of 
his  always  being  in  his  place  ;  though  every  one  I  convers- 
ed with  agreed,  that,  from  his  great  knowledge  of  the  country, 


YORKSHIRE.  129 

and  of  the  usual  line  of  his  foxes  he  creeps  up  to  his  hounds 
when  at  fault,  much  sooner  than  might  be  expected.  This 
is  the  result  of  a  quick  eye  and  a  good  share  of  brains,  with 
each  of  which  Mr.  W.  is  very  well  furnished.  Of  his  man- 
agement in  the  kennel  I  can  say  nothing:  nor  can  I  say 
much  of  the  condi;ion  of  his  pack,  any  farther  than  that 
their  elbows  were  clean,  and  that  is  as  much  as  can  be  gen- 
erally said  of  hounds  that  work  as  hard  as  his  do  ;  but  I 
thought  the  hounds  themselves  did  credit  to  his  judgemnt. 
They  are  fine  slashing  animals,  with  great  power  and  bone 
and  are  allowed  to  have  as  much  hunt  in  them  as  their 
owner  has  zeal ;  and  truly  that  is  in  abundance.  f  Tattler, 
Cruiser,  Juggler,  and  Music  would  be  an  ornament  to  any 
pack. 

I  am  not  well  qualified  to  speak  of  the  Hurworth  country. 
Some  of  it,  I  was  informed,  is  very  good,  as  indeed  was 
that  part  which  I  rode  over  from  Dinsdale  wood  ;  but  gen- 
erally speaking,  it  is  narrow  and  limited,  and  much  inter- 
rupted by  the  Tees.  The  subscription,  I  understand 
amounts  only  to  [751,  per  annum,  which  may  perhaps  with 
good  management  find  meal  for  the  hounds,  as  the  pack  is 
small,  only  consisting  of  twenty-six  couples  of  hunting 
hounds,  and  this  year  not  more  than  four  couples  to  come  in. 
Days  of  hunting  Mondays  and  Fridays. 

I  have  now  done  with  Mr.  Matthew  Wilkinson  and  his 
hounds.  Long  may  he  liye  to  enjoy  his  favorite  sport ;  and, 
when  he  is  gone,  let  his  memory  be  cherished  for  the  zeal 
he  has  shown  in  the  noble  science  of  fox-hunting  !  Keep- 
ing a  pack  of  fox-hounds  with  extended  means  is  a  praise- 
worthy act ;  but  when  those  means  are  limited,  it  becomes 
doubly  so,  as  many  other  gratifications  must  of  course  give 
place. 

Friday  22nd,  wishing  to  get  home  by  Christmas-day,  I 
was 'afraid  to  try  the  mail  again,  so  got  on  the  box  of  some 
coach  that  passed  the  house,  and  arrived  at  Leeds  at  nine 
o'clock,  whence  I  proceeded  by  the  Express  to  London. 

It  was  the  second  of  March  before  I  could  quit  home  on 
my  return  to  the  North  ;  and  as  the  Holderness  hounds 
were  my  next  object,  I  started  for  Beverley,  their  head- 
quarters, at  which  place  I  had  ordered  some  horses  to  meet 


130  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

No  sooner  arrived  at  the  Tiger  Inn,  in  the  neat  town  of 
Beverley,  than  I  sent  my  card  to  Mr.  Hodgson,  the  Master 
of  the  Holderness,  who,  as  he  was  sitting  alone,  most  kind- 
ly acknowledged  the  receipt  of  it  in  person.  I  found  him 
exactly  what  I  expected,  for  he  had  been  accurately  describ- 
ed to  me  by  Sir  Bellingham  Graham.  '  You  must  go,'  said 
he, '  and  see  Tom  Hodgson.  He  is  a  very  old  acquaintance 
of  mine ;  one  of  the  best  fellows  in  the  world;  a  capital 
sportsman  ;  in  short,  he  lives  for  hunting}  He  was  in  the 
prime  of  life;  no  dandy  ;  six  feet  three  inches  high  ;  and,  as 
Mat  Milton  says  of  a  light  bellied  horse,  'carrying  very  lit- 
tle dinner  bag.' 

Tuesday,  6th,  a  non-hunting  day. — Breakfasted  with  Mr. 
Hodgson,  and  spent  the  morning  in  looking  over  hounds 
and  horses.  In  the  evening  accompanied  Mr.  Hodgson  to 
dinner  at  Swanland,  the  seat  of  Mr.  (Sykes,  who  I  muchjegret- 
ted  to  hear,  paid  the  debt  of  nature  about  six  weeksafterwards. 
Amongst  the  company,  which  was  numerous,  was  a  West 
Riding  Baronet,  Sir  Edward  Dodsworth,  very  fond  of  fox- 
hunting, and  a  staunch  advocate  for  blood  to  hounds  in  the 
morning-,  and  a  glass  of  good  port  wine  in  the  evening. 

On  our  return  in  the  evening  we  found  Lord  Mountsand- 
ford  at  the  Tiger,  who  was  come  for  a  week's  hunting  with 
the  Holderness.  His  Lordship  was  in  just  the  right  trim  to 
receive  us.  He  had  taken  his  bottle  of  Champagne  and  dit- 
to of  Claret;  and  was  in  the  act  of  lighting  a  cigar  to  top 
everything  up  with,  when  we  entered  the  room.  We  soon 
followed  his  example;  and  a  glass  of  gin  punch  and  an 
hour's  gossip  closed  the  evening  of  this  day. 

Lord  Mountsandford  is  a  handsome  young  Irishman,  edu- 
cated entirely  in  England,  and  therefore  carries  no  mark  of 
his  country  on  his  tongue;  but  his  Lordship  possesses  the 
characteristic  cheerfulness  of  his  native  land,  and  is  what 
we  call 'a  very  good  fellow.'  He  resides  a  great  deal  in 
Yorkshire,  partly  at  Mr.  Oliver's  of  Darrington,  and  partly 
at  Mr.  Gascoine's  of  Parlington,  to  both  of  which  gentlemen 
I  believe  he  is  related. 

Wednesday,  7th. — Met  the  Holderness  hounds  at  White- 
cross,  the  residence  of  a  very  wealthy  yeoman  by  the  name 
of  Jackson,  who  occupies  a  considerable  property  of  his  own, 
and  resides  in  all  the  comfort — I  nearly  said  luxury — of 


YORKSHIRE.  131 

that  station  in  life.  Two  peculiar  features  mark  the  char- 
acter of  Mr.  Jackson.  First,  he  takes  under  his  roof,  un- 
invited, any  sportsman  living  at  a  distance,  as  also  his  ser- 
vant and  horses,  on  the  evening  before  hunting,  when  the 
next  day's  fixture  is  near  his  house.  Secondly  he  gives  a 
public  breakfast  on  the  mornings  on  which  the  hounds  meet 
at  White-cross,  which  is  laid  out  in  the  true  style  of  Old 
English  hospitality.  No  wonder  then  he  is  so  highly  es- 
teemed by  the  gentlemen  in  his  part  of  the  country,  that  they 
presented  him  with  a  handsome  silver  cup  ;  on  which  is  an 
inscription,  testifying  it  to  be  given  to  him  as  '  a  slight  mark 
of  esteem  for  his  universal  kindness  and  unbounded  hospi- 
tality on  all  occasions  that  may  occur.'  On  the  morning  lam 
speaking  of  he  gave  a  most  excellent  breakfast  to  the  field, 
and  I  had  the  honor  of  wetting  my  lips  in  this  cup.  It  was 
filled  vvilh  capital  cherry-brandy  (no  bad  jumping-powder 
in  thiscountry  of  drains),  which  wentdownthe  better  for  look- 
ingat  the  inscription  on  the  outside.  Long  life  to  this  man,  and 
all  of  his  sort!  said  1  to  myself,  as  I  put  the  massive  tank- 
ard to  my  lips. 

We  had  this  day  twenty  minutes  over  the  open,  very  fast, 
from  Catwick  whin,  and  puggy,  thinking  it  time  to  shift,  got 
into  a  drain,  from  which  the  hounds  drew  him,  and  were 
rewarded  with  his  blood  for  this  business  like  burst.  .It cer- 
tainly was  very  quick — so  much  so,  that  Captain  Dowbig- 
gin  pronounced  it  the  fastest  twenty  minutes  he  had  ever 
seen.  We  t,hen  partook  of  Mr.  Bethell's  hospitality,  who 
gave  us  a  most  excellent  luncheon  at  his  handsome  seat  at 
Rise,  and  found  again  in  Hatfield  whin  ;  dusted  him  so  se- 
verely in  covert  that  the  puff  was  out  of  him  ;  and  we 
turned  him  up  also  in  the  open,  after  a  ten  minutes'  race — 
the  hounds  never  ten  yards  from  his  brush. 

It  always  gives  me  additional  pleasure  to  speak  of  per- 
sons, male  or  female,  who  preserve  foxes — themselves  not 
partaking  of  the  sport-  There  is  a  good  deal  of  merit  due 
to  such  conduct;  for,  to  say  nothingofgame  preservesandthe 
poultry-yard  it  does  not,  I  admit,  improve  the  neatappearance 
of  a  gentleman's  grounds  to  have  a  hundred  horsemen  gal- 
lop across  them  after  a  wet  night,  as  was  the  case  at  Rise  ; 
although  no  real  injury  may  be  ultimately  sustained  by  the 
land.  I  have  here,  however,  an  anecdote  to  relate  of  Mrs- 


132  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

Bethell,  the  fair  partner  of  the  gentleman  I  have  been  speak- 
ing of,  which  every  true  sportsman  must  admire  her  for. 
On  one  occasion,  the  season  before  last,  after  a  capital  run 
of  an  hour  and  a  half,  Mr.  Hodgson  marked  his  fox  to  ground 
in  Rise  Park;  bolted  him  and  killed.  Mrs.  Bethell  said, 
1  Oh,  Mr.  Hodgson  !  after  such  a  run  as  this,  the  late  Mr. 
Bethel*  would  not  have  killed  his  fox  ! 

Thursday,  8th. — The  Holderness  met  at  Scorboro,  five 
miles  from  Beverley.  It  blew  a  hurricane,  and  rained  in 
torrents,  but  they  killed  their  fox  from  Elton  whin,  after 
thirty-five  minutes  slow  hunting.  I  afterwards  dined  with 
Mr.  Hall  of  Scorboro,  whose  son,  a  very  good  performer 
over  a  country,  I  was  acquainted  with,  by  having  met  him 
at  Mr.  Osbaldeston's  at  Q.uorn.  His  place — not  on  a  very 
large  scale — is  one  of  the  neatest  and  prettiest  I  ever  met 
with,  quite  unique  in  its  way. 

Friday,  9th. — Breakfasted  at  Burton  Agnes,  the  beautiful 
and  justly-celebrated  seat  of  Sir  Francis  Boyton. 

The  Baronet  and  his  lady  accompanied  us  to  Sir  Tatton 
Sykes's  hounds,  which  met  at  a  covert  about  five  miles  dis- 
tant. It  was  a  fine  whin,  in  a  wild  country,  not  far  from 
the  sea,  but  held  no  fox  this  day.  We  afterwards  found  in 
Barnston  whin,  a  very  large  and  strong  covert,  and  too  large 
for  hounds  to  press  a  fox  in,  as  they  should  do  to  make  him 
fly  his  country.  A  few  rides  cut  throno-h  it  would  be  of 
signal  advantage.  Barnston  whin  was  formerly  within  the 
limits  of  the  Holderness  Hunt,  but  withdrawn  in  conse- 
quence of  some  misunderstanding  between  the  proprietor 
and  a  quondam  master  of  those  hounds.  Were  this  pro- 
ceeding to  become  general,  hunting  countries  would  net 
be  long  kept  entire,  and  great  confusion  would  be  the  re- 
sult. 

We  had  no  sport  worth  speaking  of  on  this  day  ;  indeed 
the  scent  was  very  indifferent ;  but  the  short  run  afforded 
me  one  anecdote  perhaps  worth  relating.  A  fox  went  away 
at  last  from  Barnston  whin,  taking  a  ring  over  a  nasty  wet 
country.  I  made  the  best  of  my  way  over  it,  riding  inside 
the  hounds,  till  we  came  to  something  like  a  poser.  It  was 
a  deep  and  boggy  drain,  with  a  black  and  rotten  bank  to 

*  A  gentleman  of  this  name  who  once  hunted  the  country. 


YORKSHIRE.  133 

jump  upon,  and,  as  the  Irishman  said,  '  another  river  on  the 
other  side.'  It  was  far  from  agreeable;  and  the  more  we 
looked,  the  less  we  liked  it.  A  pause  ensued.  '  The  hounds 
are  turning  to  us,'  said  1.  '  That  admits  of  a  doubt,  Sir,' 
said  Mr.  Welbourne,  a  tenant  of  Sir  Francis  Boyton  ;  and 
gallantly  charged  the  fence.  As  I  expected,  the  bank  let 
his  horse  in  up  to  his  houghs;  and  when  I  saw  him,  horse 
and  all,  well  landed  in  the  second  drain,  I  thought  it  was 
my  turn  to  say  something;  so  comforted  him  by  exclaim- 
ing, '  That,  Sir,  admits  of  no  doubt.'  I  then  put  my  horse 
at  a  fresh  place,  but  that  admitted  of  no  doubt :'  headlong 
we  went  into  the  next  field,  and  although  little  Shamrock 
did  contrive  to  throw  me  clear  of  the  water,  yet  we  both 
got  up  completely  pie-bald  :  the  white  blaze  down  his  face 
was  no  longer  visible ;  and  when  I  looked  at  the  cords  and 
the  boot-tops,  I  might  have  sung  with  Ovid, 

'Q,ui  color  albus  erat,  nunc  est  contratrius  albo.' 

Two  more  of  the  field — all  I  believe  who  came  our  line — 
were  alsoflftored  at  this  same  fence,  and  one  of  them  was 
dragged  a  hundred  yards  by  his  stirrup.  His  boot  came  off 
and  released  him  from  his  awful,  situation,  or  the  conse- 
quence might  have  been  dreadful. 

Of  all  fences,  the  most  certain  floorer  is  what  is  called  a 
double,  with  unsound  ground  between  the  two  ditches  or 
drains.  The  impetus  from  the  leap  being  added  to  the 
weight  of  the  horse  and  his  rider,  causes  of  course  very 
considerable  pressure  from  the  hoofs  ;  and  if  the  ground  is 
not  able  to  resist  it,  all  spring  to  encounter  the  second  diffi- 
culty is  lost  and  a  fall  is  the  result. 

1  had  the  pleasure  of  spending  the  evening  of  this  day  at 
Thorpe,  the  seat  of  the  Lord  Macd,onald.  It  is  beautifully 
situated  in  a  snug  valley  on  the  edge  of  the  wolds,  with  eve- 
ry convenience  for  a  large  family  ;  but  his  Lordship  only 
resides  here  during  the  winter  months,  having  a  fine  place 
in  Scotland. 

In  the  morning,  as  we  had  a  long  distance  to  go  to  meet 
the  Holderness  hounds,  we  were  in  the  breakfast-room  be- 
times, owing  to  which,  in  addition  to  a  sharp  hoar  frost,  we 
got  to  Brandsburton  Moor  about  two  hours  before  MF. 
Hodgson  arrived  with  his  pack,  so  tender  was  he  of  his 
VOL.  n.  12 


134  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

hounds.  This  being  a  favorite  fixture,  there  was  a  large 
field — considerably  more  than  a  hundred.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  the  hounds  getting  no  blood — three  foxes  going  to 
ground,  two  of  them  in  rabbit  burrows — this  was  a  good 
day's  sport  to  hard-riding  men,  for  in  each  burst  the  pace 
was  tremendous ;  and  the  last  was  rather  more  than  a  burst, 
for  it  exceeded  forty  minutes,  taking  the  puff  out  of  most 
of  the  nags,  and  causing  some  of  them  to  stand  on  their 
heads  instead  of  their  legs. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  Mr.  Hodgson  accompanied  me  to 
Bishop  Burton,  three  miles  from  Beverley,  the  seat  of  that 
very  eminent  sportsman  Mr  Watt.  After  an  excellent  lunch- 
eon we  looked  into  the  paddocks,  where  I  was  in  hopes  of 
seeing  Manuella;  but  she  was  not  there,  neither  were  any 
of  his  best  mares.  All  the  race-horses  in  work  were  at 
Scott's  stables  at  Malton. 

Mr.  Watt  is  an  admi  rer  of  the  chase,  and  generally  is  seen 
by  the  covert's  side  twice  a-week.  Although,  perhaps,  there 
may  be  keener  sportsmen,  there  is  no  man  who  wishes  bet- 
ter to  fox-hunting.  •  , 

Monday,  12th. — The  Holderness  hounds  met  at  Elton, 
about  four  miles  from  Beverley,  but  we  could  do  nothing 
with  hounds  on  this  day.  The  moment  they  were  thrown 
into  covert  I  saw  it  was  a  hopeless  case;  for  they  were  roll- 
ing and  staring  about  them  from  want  of  something  better 
to  do.  We  at  last  hunted  a  fox  to  Bishop  Burton,  and  after 
losing  some  time  in  getting  through  Mr.  Watt's  paddocks, 
we  hunted  him  back  to  Elton,  and  killed  in  the  covert  ho 
was  found  in.  It  was  a  wretched  scenting  day;  and  I  well 
remember  that,  over  a  large  ploughed  field,  only  one  hound 
(Render)  could  speak  to  him. 

The  Holderness  Club  consists  of  only  twenty  Members. 
They  dine  together  once  a  month,  and  the  Wednesday  I 
was  at  Beverley  happened  to  be  a  Club  day.  We  had  a 
large  muster  of  Members ;  the  dinner,  at  the  Beverley 
Arms  Inn,  was  very  deserving  of  praise  ;  the  wine,  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Club,  so-so  ;  and  a  ball  at  the  assembly  rooms 
for  a  finish. 

The  following  would  be  a  very  posing  question  to  me  : 
— 'Who  do  you  esteem  the  most  zealous  fox-hunter — the 
man  fondest  of  everything  relating  to  hounds  and  hunting, 


YORKSHIRE. 


that  you  have  met  with  in  life?'  I  think  I  should  reply, 
either  Squire  Osbaldestonor  Tom  Hodgson  ;  for  I  really  think 
the  question  rests  between  those  gentlemen.  I  need  not  say 
that  it  has  not  been  in  the  po\ver  of  Mr.  Hodgson  to  hunt 
hounds  six  days  a-week,  as  Mr.  O.  has  done;  and  for 
the  best  of  all  reasons  !  namely,  every  one  knows  he  has 
not  had  the  stuff  to  do  it  with  ;  but  by  my  soul  I  believe,  if 
he  could  keep. his  eyes  open  without  sleep,  he  would  be  with 
his  hounds  by  day  and  by  night:  No  hen  appears  prouder 
of  her  brood  than  he  does  of  his  staunch  little  pack:  and 
well  indeed  do  they  requite  his  pains.  Perhaps  no  man  in 
England  does  so  much  work  with  so  small  a  kennel  of 
hounds,  for,  with  only  twenty-two^couples  of  old,  and  nine 
of  young  hounds,  he  hunted  three  times  a-week  throughout 
the  whole  of  last  season ;  and  such  has  been  about  the  state 
of  the  case  since  he  has  had  the  Holderness  country.  With 
this  strength,  he  killed  his  thirty  brace  of  foxes  last  hunt- 
ing season,  which  I  call  great  doings. 

Encouragement  is  the  soul  of  enterprize  and  although 
Mr.  Hodgson's  subscription  is  no  more  than  1000Z.  per  an- 
num, yet  he  is  suppdrted  by  the  good  wishes  of  all  descrip- 
tions of  persons,  and  particularly*by  those  of  the  yeomen 
and  farmers — no  bad  criterion  by  the  bye  of  doing  things 
right  and  straight  forward  between  man  and  man. 

Mr.  Hodgson  I  should  imagine,  spends  more  time  with 
his  hounds  than  any  gentleman-huntsman  in  England,  and, 
I  may  venture  to  add,  or  than  any  other.  He  attributes,  in- 
deed, the  extraordinary  work  they  do  for  him  to  his  walk- 
in?  them  out  so  often  on  non-hunting  days,  by  which  all 
stiffness  of  the  joints  and  soreness  of  the  feet  are  greatly  re- 
lieved. Dogs,  we  know,  of  all  descriptions  are  much  giv- 
en to  sleep  on  a  full  belly  ;  and  on  the  morrow  after  a  hard 
day's  sport,  hounds  would  scarcely  quit  the  benches  after 
feeding  were  it  not  for  being  made  to  do  so.  Mr.  H.  fre- 
quently walks  out  his  pack  as  often  as  six  times  a-day,  and 
I  was  told  it  was  nothing  very  uncommon  to  see  him  doing 
this  by  moonlight.  Indeed,  as  far  as  kennel-work  is  con- 
cerned, Mr.  Hodgson  is  certainly  the  most  painstaking 
huntsman  I  ever  came  across  in  my  life.  In  the  .field  his 
skill  is  also  acknowledged  ;  and  there  is  little  doubt  but  that 


136  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

time  and  experience  will  place  him  in  the  front  rank: — 
zeal  like  his  is  not  to  be  denied  ! 

There  was  one  disadvantage  as  a  huntsman  to  a  pack  of 
fox-hounds  in  a  deep  and  high  scenting  country,  that  Mr. 
Hodgson  labored  under  when  I  was  at  Beverley,  which  I 
hear  he  has  this  year  rectified.  His  horses,  although  good 
fencers,  did  not  possess  sufficient  speed  to  place  him  where 
he  ought  always  to  be  when  his  hounds  come  to  a  check. 
No  man  can  ensure  being  at  all  limes  present  with  his  pack; 
but  the  less  his  eye  is  off  them  the  better,  and  he  should  al- 
ways be  able  to  break  away  from  the  crowd. 

In  the  summer  Mr.  Hodgson  lives  with  his  father,  at 
Sugfield,  near  Ferrybridge,  but  of  course  in  the  hunting 
season  he  takes  up  his  abode  at  Beverley.  Trifles  light  as 
air  mark  the  character  of  a  man,  and  here  you  see  Tom 
Hodgson  in  his  real  form — the  true  sportsman,  giving  up 
everything  to  fox-hunting.  His  crib  is  close  to  the  kennel 
and  the  stables ;  and  as  it  has  been  pronounced  by  a  master 
of  fox-hounds  '  to  be  better  worth  seeing  than  a  palace,'  I  can- 
not do  less  less  than  describe  it.  It  consists  of  but  two 
rooms;  one  for  himself,  and  one  for 'an  old  woman  who 
wails  upon  him.  The  furniture  of  the  master's  room  con- 
sists of  a  turn-up  bedstead,  a  sofa,  half  a  dozen  chairs,  and 
a  table ;  but  here  he  can  do  what  no  man  can  do  in  a  pal- 
ace. As  he  lies  in  his  bed,  he  can  open  his  window,  shut 
his  door,  stir  the  fire,  and  rale  his  hounds  if  he  hears  them 
quarrelling  in  their  kennel.  His  walls  are  ornamented 
with  some  excellent  prints  of  sporting  characters — himself 
in  caricatura  among  the  rest — and  the  place  is  altogether 
of  a  piece.  We  are  not  all  rich  enough  to  purchase  the 
pleasures  of  Corinth,  as  an  old  proverb  has  it;  but  the  rich- 
es of  a  Caliph  could  not  make  this  man  happier  than  I  hava 
seen  him  in  his  crib  at  Beverley,  within  hearing  of  the 
sweet  music  of  his  pack. 

Too  nice  a  taste — in  no  matter  what — is  little  less  than  a 
curse.  He  who  is  pleased  with  nothing  short  of  perfection 
has  less  pleasure  and  less  happiness  than  one  who  is  more 
moderate  in  his  expectations  and  desires.  When  I  entered 
the  Holderness  kennel,  I  did  not  expect  to  see  a  complete 
and  perfect  pack  of  hounds,  such  for  obvious  reasons  being 
within  reach  of  but  few;  but  I  was  confident  I  should  see 


YORKSHIRE.  137 

n  good  style  of  animal,  hounds  looking  like  doing  business, 
and  drafted  down,  as  the  old  man's  cats  were  to  those  only 
which  would  kill  mice.  No  Modishes  and  Merkins  kept, 
as  I  have  seen  them  kept,  because  they  were  too  handsome 
to  hang,  and  too  bad  to  give  away  ;  but  almost  every  hound 
in  Tom  Hodgson's  kennel  looked,  like  his  master,  as  if  fie 
knew  how  to  kill  a  fox. 

There  is  a  hound  in  the  Holderness  pack  worth  his 
weight  in  sovereigns — ons  of  the  best  and  closest  hunters 
I  ever  sa\v,  and  he  appeared  quite  without  a  fault.  He  is 
most  appropriately  named  Pilot,  and  in  truth  he  is  a  capital 
steersman  when  any  difficulty  occurs,  at  the  same  time  that 
he  runs  quite  up  to  the  head.  He  is  a  three-year-old  hun- 
ter, and  appears  in  the  list  as  got  by  Mr.  Ward's  Palestine 
out  of  the  Badsworth  Harmony — the  Duke  of  Grafior/.s 
Roderick  blood — and  drafted,  [  believe,  for  the  Badsworth 
kennel.  Another  hound  of  the  same  year  I  considered  par- 
ticularly good — viz.  Leveller,  by  Lord  Lonsdale's  Leader 
out  of  Lord  Yarborough's  Merry  Lass — his  Lordship's 
ildair  sort:  also  Justice  (very  clever,  and  a  hound  of 
great  power),  one  year  younger,  by  Mr.  Osbaldeston's  Jasper 
out  of  Sir  Bellingham  Graham's  Jealousy:  Comrade,  same 
year,  a  capital  sort,  but  don't  exactly  remember  what. 

The  Holderness  country  has  been  established  many  years, 
snd  is  one  of  very  considerable  extent.  Speaking  geograph- 
ically, it  is  bounded  by  the  German  Ocean,  by  the  river 
Humber,  by  Houden,  by  Pocklington  (fourteen  miles  from 
York),  and  Bridlington,  on  the  coast,  eighteen  miles  south 
of  Scarborough — which  two  latter  places  may  be  called  its 
corner  points,  and  about  thirty  miles  apart.  From  North  to 
South  its  extent  is  full  forty-five,  from  East  to  West  thirty- 
six  miles.  It  is  only  interrupted  by  Barnston  whin  and 
Burton  Agnes,  and  abounds  in  coverts  and  foxes.  One  half 
of  it  is  composed  of  that  part  of  Yorkshire  called  Holder- 
ness,  and  the  other  half  the  wolds  and  low  country  extend- 
ing nearly  to  Houden.  The  river  Hull  divides  Holderness 
from  the  wolds.  The  air  of  the  former  is  soft  and  humid: 
of  the  latter  such  as  is  generally  experienced  on  situations 
of  a  similar  altitude. 

My  opinion  of  the  Holderness  country  is,  that  it  is  a  rare 
one  for  hounds,  but,  after  much  rain,  a  cruel  one  for  horses: 

VOL.    II.  1'^* 


138  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TODR. 

and  I  must  say  is  too  deep  to  be  pleasant.  On  some  days 
the  best  hunter  in  England  may  be  stopped  in  ten  minutes, 
if  ridden  at  the  top  of  his  pace ;  for  in  some  parts  there  i» 
no  chance  to  bring  him  round  again  by  getting  on  a 
dry  headland  or  a  bit  of  sound  ground.  It  is  sop,  sop,  all 
the  way,  and  the  dark  color  of  the  soil  plainly  denotes  its 
quality.  As  for  the  drains,  it  appeared  to  me  as  if  more  had 
been  said  about  them  than  is  needful ;  as  T  don't  think  they 
present  themselves  oftener,  or  are  at  all  more  formidable, 
than  the  brooks  in  parts  of  Northamptonshire,  Warwick- 
shire, Leicestershire,  and  one  or  two  other  Midland  coun- 
ties. I  saw  but  one  that  appeared  impracticable,  and  that 
was  shown  me  on  my  road  to  covert.  Perhaps  I  was  fortu- 
nate; but  those  we  met  with  in  chase,  whilst  I  was  in  the 
country,  were  such  that  no  horse  fit  to  be  called  a  hunter 
ought  to  be  appalled  at.  The  horses  of  the  country  make 
easy  work  of  them,  by,  where  the  ground  is  sound,  creep- 
ing down  the  banks  on  the  rising  side,  and  then  taking  the 
drains  in  a  stand.  Notwithstanding,  it  requires  a  good  hun- 
ter to  get  well  across  Holderness,  and  a  man  on  his  back 
who  knows  how  to  ride  him.  If  he  is  wantonly  pressed, 
he  must  stop;  and  there  must  be  times  (when  hounds  run 
hard)  when  every  advantage  must  be  taken,  and  every  as- 
sistance given  him.  As  for  the  fences  in  Holderness,  they 
are  the  common  hedge  find  ditch,  without  hinders,  and  there- 
fore only  require  a  steady  horse,  and  a  good  finger  on  him, 
to  get  over  them  without  much  danger  of  falls,  that  is  to  say, 
when  the  puff  is  in.  When  it  is  out,  a  molehill  and  a  moun- 
tain are  much  alike.  . 

The  Holderness  country  has  changed  masters  several 
times  within  the  last  ten  years.  The  first  of  these  mention- ' 
ed  to  me  was  Mr.  Digby  Legard,  whose  sons  are  now  going 
well,  particularly  Mr.  George  Legard.  After  he  left  it,  it 
became  vacant  for  some  time,  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of 
Hill  hunting  it  part  of  two  seasons.  Mr.  Hay  (late  of 
Warwicksbire)had  it  after  Mr.  Hill,  and  hunted  it  a  year 
and  a  half,  declaring  that  it  was  the  best  scenting  country 
in  all  England.  Mr.  Osbaldeston  once  had  a  turn  at  it, 
but  1  believe  for  not  more  than  half  a  season.  Then  cam* 
Mr.  Hill  again,  and  to  him  Mr.  Hodgson  succeeded,  this  be- 
ing his  fourth  season. 


YORKSHIRE.  139 

The  amount  of  the  subscription  to  Mr.  Hodgson  was  not 
more  than  800/.  the  first  year,  but  increased  afterwards  to 
about  1000/.  That  it  will  continue  to  increase,  I  cannoi 
doubt;  for  he  has  shown  excellent  sport;  and  as  far  as 
himself  is  concerned,  no  man  can  be  more  popular  or  more 
really  deserving  of  encouragement. 

There  is  one  characteristic  of  the  Holderness  country 
which  must  be  highly  flattering  to  the  gentleman  who  hunts 
it.  The  farmers  are,  to  a  man,  not  only  preservers  of  foxes, 
in  the  common  meaning  of  the  phrase,  but  they  go  beyond 
that;  for  they  will  not  have  a  fox  killed,  evenwiih  hounds,  if 
they  can  any  how  save  his  life. 

I  must  say  a  word  in  favor  of  Will  Danby,  Tom  Hodg- 
son's first  whipper-in.  He  is  quite  as  much  a  devotee  as 
his  master,  and  a  most  obliging,  civil  fellow  ;  a  good  and 
bold  horseman;  and  by  no  means  particular  about  a  fall  or 
two*.  He  lives,  like  his  master,  but  a  short  distance  from 
the  kennel,  and  has,  what  is  called  'a  very  tidy  woman' 
for  his  wife,  and  a  very  pretty  litter  of  cubs.  The  follow- 
ing anecdote  is  much  to  his  credit: — '  Will,'  said  his  master, 
'I  hope  next  year  to  raise  your  wages.' — 'Lord  Sir,'  re- 
plied Will,  '  I  wants  no  more  wages.  I  am  as  happy  as  a 
man  can  be ;  only  let  me  be  with  the  hounds,  and  1  wishes 
for  nothing  more.'  Oh  what  a  lesson  does  Will  Danbr 
give  us  !  What  a  compliment  to  Tom  Hodgson  and  fox-hun- 
ting. 

In  consequence  of  the  long  extended  drought  of  summer 
before  last,  the  the  price  of  hay  was  exorbitantly  high  in 
many  parts  of  the  North  of  England.  Singular  as  it  may 
appear,  that  consumed  by  Mr.  Hodgson's  stud  at  Beverley 
was  purchased  in  Smithfield  market,  London,  and  sent  down 
by  water  to  Hull.  It  was  thence  conveyed  gratis  by  some 
sporting  farmers  to  Beverley,  and  when  lodged  in  Mr.  Hodg- 
son's buildings,  cost  him  only  six  pounds  per  load  of  eigh- 
teen hundred- weight. 

There  are  a  few  hard  riders  in  the  Holderness  Hunt. 
The  following  are  very  good  indeed,  and  would  go  well  in 

*  He  got  one  rattler  while  I  was  in  the  country.  I  asked  him  the 
next  day  how  he  was.  He  replied,  he  was  quite  well,  only  he  felt 
rather  queer  about  the  head. 


140  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

any  country  : — the  Hon.  Alexander  Macdonald  ;  the  t\vo 
Messrs,  and  more  especially  Mr  George  Legard;  Mr.  James 
Hall ;  Mr.  W.  Barkwith  of  Hessle  ;  and  Mr.  John  Smith  of 
Hull:  also  Mr.  Watson  of  Wandby,  a  gentleman  farmer, 
always  well  mounted,  and  as  well  inclined  to  go.  Report 
spoke  highly  of  him  in  ether  respects,  as  what  the  Sport- 
ing World  calls  '  a  good  sort  of  fellow.'  There  is  a  "Mr. 
Thompson,  also  a  farmer,  residing  at  Karpham  on  the 
wolds,  who  is  a  good  performer,  and  also  a  good  sportsman. 
But  what  I  call  the  clipper  of  this  Hunt  is  a  farmer  of  the 
name  of  Medford,  on  his  little  ewe-necked  grey  mare.  Mr. 
Medford  resides  at  a  place  called  Carlton  in  Holderness,  and 
although  he  is  so  far  north,  and  in  the  provincials,  I  should 
be  inclined  to  say  he  was  not  far  from  being  a  match  for 
those  crack  Leicestershire  yeomen,  Dick  Christian  and  Mr. 
Thomlin,  I  had  my  eye  upon  him  one  day  in  one  of  thn 
Tery  fast  things  we  had  over  Holderness,  when  the  ground 
was  cruelly  deep.  He  went  of  at  score  with  the  little  grey 
mare;  but  as  it  will  happen  sometimes,  every  turn  he  made 
was  wrong,  and  From  the  pace  the  hounds  were  going  and 
the  state  of  the  country,  I  despaired  of  seeing  him  in  his 
place  again.  My  fears  were  groundless:  he  got  upon  the 
line;  and  putting  his  head  as  straight  as  a  crow  could  fly, 
was  soon  to  be  seen  cheeking  the  leading  hounds,  and  go- 
ing quite  at  his  ease. 

There  is  one  gentleman  who  hunts  with  these  hounds  of 
whom  I  must  make  very  honorable  mention,  although  I 
know  not  exactly  whether  he  can  be  called  one  of  the  Hol- 
derness Hunt,  as  he  resides  principally  with  his  father,  the 
well-known  and  highly-respected  Major  Bower,  of  Wei- 
ham,  near  Malton,  a  great  man  among  the  long  tails.  .1 
am  here  alluding  to  his  second  son,  Mr.  John  Bower,  whom 
I  hesitate  not  to  pronounce  as  fine  a  horseman  as  ever  touch- 
ed a  bridle,  with  undaunted  courage,  and  a  capital  eye  to 
hounds.  Mr.  John  Bower  is  very  well  known  in  the  Bur- 
ton Hunt,  Lincolnshire,  where  I  understand  the  general 
opinion  is,  that  he  is  quite  a  master-man  in  the  field;  and, 
as  the  best  hands  generally  are,  free  from  either  presump- 
tion or  conceit. 

Mr.  Alexander  Macdonald  is  one  of  the  quick  ones;  and 
as  his  horses  are  all  thorough-bred,   and  his  nerves  tho- 


YORKSHIRE.  141 

rough  good,  it  will  take  a  very  quick  man  to  beat  him. 
But  he  is  good  at  everything,  and  is  popular  everywhere. 
His  brother-in-law,  Lord  Hopetovvn,  also  goes  a  great  pace 
for  his  weight,  and  has  one  most  extraordinary  hunter  in 
his  stud.  He  has  all  the  strength,  and  indeed  some  of  tha 
appearance,  of  a  wagon  horse,  but  is  as  fast  as  the  wind, 
and  can  jump  anything.  His  Lordship  puts  him  along  at 
a  merry  pace. 

Although  the  heroes  of  poetry  must  be  exalted  some- 
what above  the  level  of  ordinary  men,  yet  fault  has  been 
found  with  Virgil,  for  uniting  too  many  perfections  in  one 
man — for  then  he  becomes  a  prodigy,  and  all  interest  cea- 
ses. This  is  the  case  with  his  hero  JEneas.  On  every 
occasion,  save  his  amour  with  Dido  (but  what  man  of  gal- 
lantry could  have  done  less?),  he  calls  him  piqus,  and  quakes 
him  appear  quite  equal  with  the  gods.  Let  me  then  be- 
ware how  T  fall  into  this  extreme  in  describing  such  a  man. 
as  Tom  Hodgson.  True  it  is,  his  being  a  master  of  fox- 
hounds, and  hunting  them  himself,  goes  a  great  way  with 
me,  and  I  should  like  to  add  one  feather  to  his  plume:  but 
really  that  plume  is  full.  All  who  know  him  are  unani- 
mous in  his  praise  :  every  one  renders  him  this  homely  hom- 
age—  Tom  Hodgson  is,  all  over,  a  man. 

Speaking  of  yEneas,  and  speaking  of  piety,  why  should 
not  my  hero  be  styled  pious?  Among  my  fox-hunting 
friends  I  know  of  no  one  so  steady  to  church  as  Tom  Hod- 
gson: he  is  really  what  old  Leech  would  have  called  a 
church  glutton;  for  he  is  not  content  with  morning  ser- 
vice on  Sundays,  but  often  attends  again  when  the  lamps 
are  lit.  Now  too  much  of  a  good  thing  is  worth  nothing, 
and  it  is  possible  a  man  may  have  too  much  church.  Even 
devotion  itself  will  now  and  then  require  rest;  and,  as 
Dean  Swift  has  told  us,  people  will  sometimes  sleep  in  tHeir 
pews  while  the  parson  is  dreaming  in  his  pulpit.  Thus  it 
was  with  the  Master  of  the  Holderness  when  I  was  at  Bev- 
erley.  '  Do  you  take  Vengeance  out  to-day?'  said  I  to  him 
on  the  morning  of  the  Monday  we  met  at  Elton.  '  Why, 
no,"  replied  he  ;  '  I  settled  that  point  last  night  in  church.  I 
fell  asleep  in  the  sermon,  and  dreamed  she  was  running 
hare  like  the  d — 1.' 

Dreams  are  only  our  waking  thoughts,  and  dreaming  of 


142  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

hunting  by  night  isby  no  means  unnatural  to  one  \vho  thinks 
of  little  else  by  day. 

In  sleep,  when  fancy  is  let  loose  to  play, 
Our  dreams  repeat  the  business  of  iheday; 
The  judge  in  bed  will  argue  fresh  his  cause, 
And  o'er  and  o'er  again  dispense  his  laws, 
The  jockey  dreams  lie  rides  a  winning  race, 
And  guides  his  courser  with  a  Chifney's  grace. 
The  huntsman  draws  his  coverts  o'er  again, 
And  finds  his  fo-x,  coil'd  in  his  well-used  den; 
Enraptur'd  thinks  he  hears  the  woods  resound, 
And  faintly  ha'loos  to  some  fav'rite  hound. 
The  poet  takes  his  night-cap  for  the  bay 
^  Stript  from  the  brow  of  Dryden  or  of  Gay. 

Thus  went  Tom  Hodgson  to  his  church  to  pray 
And  well  resolv'd  his  evening  prayers  to  say: 
Say  them  he  did;  but  when  the  learn'd  Divine 
Mounted  the  pulpit,  and  began  to  shine 
In  theologic  lore,  Tom  fell  fast  asleep, 
And  dreamt  his  hounds  were  running  hares,  or  sheep. 
(Believe,  me,  Reader!  this  is  nothing  new, 
Tom  gets  many  a  snooze  in  this  snug  pew.) 
1  Get  forward,  Will,'  cried  he,  '  and  stop  those  hounds. 
I  hear  them  running  hare  like  h— 11.' — '  Zounds!' 
Said  his  friend ;  '  why,  Tom,  ypu  have  forgot 
The  place  you  are  in  !' — (waking)  '  Oh !  no,  I  have  not.' 

Said    Tom  ;   '  where  are  we  now  ? in  the  Lord's 

Prayer  ? 

(Sleeping)  Oh,  Will!  that  Vengeance  always  did  run 
hare.' 

From  Beverley  T  proceeded  to  York,  v/hare  I  arrived  in 
the  night  of  thei  12th  of  March,  and  took  up  my  abode  at 
the  Black  Swan.  On  the  following  morning  I  went  to 
have  another  look  at  the  York  and  Ainsty  fox-hounds,  but 
have  no  recollection  of  the  place  of  meeting,  any  farther 
than  it  was  ten  miles  from  York  on  the  Boroughbridge 
toad.  I  overtook  the  pack  about  seven  miles  on  the  road, 
and  found  they  were  not  accompanied  by  their  huutsman, 


YORKSHIRE.  143 

who  was  ill.     The  hounds  could  not  run  a  yard  ;  sol  trot- 
ted home,  and  dined  with  Mr.  George  Swann. 

Thursday,  15th. — Met  York  and  Ainsty  at  Nun  Apple- 
ton  village,  ten  miles  from  York.  We  hunted  a  fox,  that 
had  stolen  away  from  one  of  Sir  William  Milner's  coverts, 
for  some  distance  ;  but  owing  to  a  false  halloo,  and  two  or 
t  three  other  awkward  circumstances,  we  could  do  nothing 
with  him.  Found  again  on  Askham  bog,  but  the  day  was 
very  stormy,  and  we  had  not  any  scent.  There  was  a  large 
field  out,  several  of  whom  belonged  to  Lord  Harevvood's 
Hunt.  In  the  evening  of  this  day  I  went  to  Whitwell  to 
dine  with  Sir  Bellingharn  Graham,  and  with  the  intention 
of  hunting  the  next  day  with  Sir  Tatton  Sykes,  but  was 
disappointed  of  my  horse.  Sir  Bellingham  also  moving  off 
to  Norton  Conyers  as  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  rather 
put  me  to  my  shifts  for  something  to  fill  up  the  morning  : 
so  I  determined  on  looking  at  Castle  Howard,  the  magnifi- 
cent seat  of  the  Earl  of  Carlisle,  and  one  of  the  greatest 
Lions  of  Yorkshire.  It  was  formerly  a  place  of  great 
strength,  where  many  battles  were  fought — particularly  in 
the  reign  of  King  Malcolm,  of  Scotland,  who  laid  waste 
this  part  of  Yorkshire,  and  deluged  its  soil  with  some  of 
England's  best  blood. 

I  was  given  to  understand  there  are  some  good  riders  in 
the  York  and  Ainsty  country,  exclusive  of  those  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  being  known  to.  Among  them  I  heard  the 
names  of  Mr.  J.  Agar,  Mr.  J-  Clough,  and  a  young  one  of 
much  promise  of  the  name  of  Smith,  a  son  of  Colonel  Smith 
of  Placeville. 

Of  the  huntsman,  Naylor,  I  shall  begin  with  paying  him. 
a  very  handsome  compliment.  The  splendid  condition  of 
this  pack  was  not  eclipsed  by  anything  of  that  description 
which  I  met  with  in  Yorkshire  ;  and  he  has  the  greater 
credit  here,  from  the  circumstance  of  his  hounds  being  ob- 
liged to  sleep  out  once  a-week  at  least,  and  sometimes  often- 
er.  I  shall  ever  maintain,  that,  whether  in  their  kennel  or 
in  the  field,  there  was  a  brightness  of  skin,  a  liveliness  of 
carriage,  an  evenness  of  flesh,  and  something  altogether 
about  the  York  hounds,  which  denoted  a  master-hand  at 
home. 

In  the  field,  although  I  had  but  small  means   of  judging- 


144  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

of  him,  I  do  not  think  highly  of  Naylor  as  a  huntsman — 
certainly  not  so  highly  as  he  thinks  of  himself.  I  consider 
Naylor  a  huntsman  of  very  average  capacity,  and  particu- 
larly so  for  the  time  he  has  been  with  hounds.  However, 
'there  is  one  glory  of  the  sun,  another  of  the  moon,  and 
another  of  the  stars:'  all  men  are  not-  equal,  and  the  best 
of  us  have  only  as  much  knowledge  as  it  has  pleased  our 
Maket  to  give  us,  and  no  more.  Jack  Wilson,  the  head 
whipper-in,  stand  high  with  the  country,  being  accounted 
rather  better  than  common. 

Among  other  qualities,  Naylor  is  considered  a  wag,  and 
plumes  himself  upon  now  and  then  saying  what  he  consid- 
ers a  good  thing.  Whilst  I  was  at  York,  a  gentleman  rede 
up  to  him,  and  addressed  him  thus  : — 'Now,  Naylor,  you 
must  mind  what  you  are  at  to-day:  NIMROD  will  be  out, 
and  will  have  you  in  black  and  white.' — 'Lord  bless 
you,  Sir,'  replied  Naylor,  'why  I  have  forgotten  more  than 
NIMROD  will  ever  know.'  A  sharp  rebuke  this  ;  and  all 
I  have  to  say  is,  that  I  think  I  have  read  that  Wisdom 
vaunteth  not  itself,  and  is  not  puffed  up:  but  God  help  the 
nan  who  knows  only  what  Mr.  Naylor  has  forgotten  !  How- 
ever, there  is  chaff  and  cockle  in  the  best  grain  ;  so  enough 
of  this.  Naylor  is  a  good  and  faithful  servant,  a  capital 
kennel  huntsman,  and  therefore  entitled  to  great  praise: 
but  we  all  pay  the  price  of  celebrity,  and  so  must  he. 

On  Friday  I  returned  to  York,  for  the  purpose  of  meeting 
the  York  and  Ainsty  hounds  the  next  morning.  I  sent  a 
horse  to  covert,  and  set  out  after  him ;  but  the  day  was  so 
tempestuous  that  I  turned  back  on  the  road,  and  the  very 
keenest  of  the  sportsman  were  obliged  to  give  it  in,  and 
return  home,  drenched  to  their  skins.  The  evening  pro- 
ved fair,  and  I  despatched  my  horses  to  Easingwold,  on 
their  road  to  Raby  Castle,  whither  I  was  under  engage- 
ment to  follow  them  on  the  succeeding  Tuesday. 

Accordingly,  on  Sunday  the  18th,  I  took  leave  of  York, 
and  went  to  Norton  Conyers  on  my  road  to  Raby  Castle. 
I  arrived  just  in  pucWing  time,  and  was  happy  to  find  the 
worthy  Baronet  had  nearly  got  the  belter  of  his  painful 
complaint,  and  was  recovering  the  effects  of  his  bad  fall*. 

*  Whilst  1  -was  akent  frcm  Yorkshire,  this  sporting  Barcnet  got  an 


YORKSHIRE.  145 

On  the  19th,  I  proceeded  to  Raby  Castle,  where  its  Noble 
o\vner  had  arrived  only  two  days  before  from  rather  a  long 
visit  to  London,  having  been  very  reluctantly  detained  by 
what  he  most  appropriately  termed  the  question  of  the  d — d 
Corn  Bill.  '  Did  Lord  Darlington  change  horses  here  on 
Sunday?'  said  I  to  the  landlord  of  Catterick  Bridge  inn. 
On  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  I  inquired  after  his 
health.  " '  His  Lordship  \vas  very  well,'  replied  Mr.  Fergu- 
son ;  but  when  he  comes  down  from  London,  he  never  looks 
so  well  as  he  does  when  he  goes  up;  he  never  looks  like 
himself  till  he  has  had  a  bit  of  fox-hunting.' — 'Aye,  aye,' 
said  I ;  '  that  is  the  medicine  of  life  :  there  is  no  such  balm 
in  Gilead.' 

It  is  an  eighteen  mile  stage  from  Catterick  Bridge  to 
Raby,  and  as  part  of  it  is  a  byroad,  with  a  great  many  gates 
to  open,  1  found  that  I  should  do  no  more  than  just  get  in 
time  for  dinner ;  and  losing  that  at  Raby  is  no  ordinary 
joke.  One  appetite,-  however,  was  highly  gratified  even  in 
the  jumbling  a  hack-chaise.  The  approach  to  Raby  is  a 
feast  to  the  eye  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  veriest  glutton  for  the 
sublime  and  grand ;  and  when  the  noble  Castle,  with  its 
stately  towers,  emblazoned  walls,  and  deep  fosse  that  sur- 
rounds it,  retaining  all  their  appearance  of  antiquity,  burst 
with  commanding  grandeur  upon  my  view,  strange  ideas 
presented  themselves  to  my  mind.  I  could  not  help  fancy- 
ing that,  like  the  planets,  Old  Time  had  become  retrogade, 
and  that  I  was  on  my  road  to  visit  a  haughty  Baron  of  the 
feudal  ages  some  three  hundred  years  back. 

The  entrance  into  the  Castle  is  particularly  grand,  and 
the  imposing  effect  must  make  that  impression  on  all  stran- 
gers which  it  made  upon  myself.  As  I  drove  through  the 
outer  gate,  my  arrival  was  announced  by  a  deep-toned  bell, 
rung  by  a  porter  who  inhabits  the  lodge,  and  which  always 
announces  the  approach  of  a  guest.  My  carriage  proceed- 
ed at  a  rapid  rate  along  the  embattled  terrace,  and  taking  a 

awkward  floorer  with  Sir  Tatton  Sykes's  bounds.  They  had  been 
going  very  best  pace  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  his  horse 
wished  to  decline  a  very  awkward  fence.  His  rider,  however,  was 
not  to  be  denied;  and  the  consequence  was,  the  fracture  of  the  collar 
bone  and  other  severe  injuries. 

VOL.    II.  13  * 


146  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

fine  sweep  through  the  inner  gate,  where  a  portcullis  is 
suspended,  brought  me  into  a  quadrangular  court-yard, 
where  I  concluded  I  was  to  be  landed  for  the  day.  But  it 
was  not  so.  The  large  folding  doors  of  the  great  Gothic 
saloon  opened  as  I  approached  them,  and  I  found  myself, 
hack-chaise  and  all,  in  this  noble  room.  Here  were  two  or 
three  footmen,  ready  to  take  my  luggage,  and  the  groom  of 
the  chambers  to  show  me  to  my  apartment. 

'  You  have  very  little  time  to  dress  in,  Sir,'  said  the  groom 
of  the  chambers,  as  he  led  me  through  the  turnings  and 
windings  of  the  anti-rooms  and  passages  of  this  huge  build- 
ing: '  his  Lordship's  clocks  are  fast,  and  he  dines  exactly 
at  six.' — '  In  twenty  minutes,'  replied  I,  '  my  toilet  will  be 
completed;  but  pray  let  me  ask  you  one  question — you  have 
brought  me  hither,  but  how  am  I  to  find  my  way  to  the 
drawing-room?  I  shall  make,  a  wrong  turn  and  be  lost.' 
The  groom  smiled,  and  said  he  would  come  and  fetch  me 
when  I  rang  my  bell. 

I  f6und  the  Marquis*  and  his  family  in  good  health  and 
spirits,  a  small  select  party  as  his  guests,  and  every  thing 
as  I  expected  to  find  it  at  Raby  Castle :  but  amidst  the  glit- 
ter of  affluence  which  is  so  conspicuous  here,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  chill  into  awe  those  who  move  in  a  lower  sphere  of 
life.  If  rank  and  wealth  were  his  boast,  the  Marquis  of 
Cleveland — like  Nebuchadnezzar  the  King — could  bask  in 
the  sunshine  on  the  battlements  of  his  palace,  and  look 
down  in  his  prosperity  on  nine  tenths  of  the  world.  But 
nothing  is  less  like  the  Noble  owner  of  Raby.  No;  there 
is  in  this  favored  son  of  Fortune — and  indeed  on  all  who 
bear  his  name — a  praiseworthy  affability  that  sets  perfectly 
at  their  ease  all  those  who  are  in  his  presence;  and  it  may 
be  asserted  of  him,  as  was  said  of  a  great  character  of  anti- 
quity, that  '  no  man  can  be  great  with  so  much  ease,  none 
familiar  with,  so  much  dignity  ; '  and  herein  consists  one  of 
the  greatest  ornaments  to  rank. 

Private  character  is  not  within  the  pale  of  my  critical 
synod  ;  but  in  describing  such  a  top-sawyer  as  the  Marquis 
of  Cleveland  has  proved  himself  for  so  many  revolving 
years,  it  would  be  unjusAo  the  cause  of  fox-hunting  were  I 

*  The  Earl  of  Darlington  had  just  been  elevated  to  the  Marquisate 
of'Cleveland. 


YORKSHIRE.  lu 

not  to  exhibit  him  in  his  several  characters  of  an  accom- 
plished English  gentleman  and  a  first-rate  English  sports- 
man. In  the  one,  perhaps,  his  merit  may  be  but  lightly 
appreciated ;  for  to  say  he  is  the  best  bred  man  in  England 
would  be  buj  saying  little.  Those  who,  like  himself,  are 
placed  in  the  first  class  of  the  community,  acquire,  as  it 
were  naturally,  that  easy  deportment  which  their  situation 
confers  on  them,  and  the  savior  vivre,  and  the  savior  faire 
become  their  second  nature.  As  a  British  sportsman- 
taking  all  things  into  the  account — I  fearlessly  assert,  he 
has  not  his  fellow.  Lord  Cleveland  is  a  sportsman  in  the 
real  acceptation  of  that  comprehensive  term;  not  one  of 
your  battue  gentlemen,  crawling  out  when  the  day  is  far 
spent,  with  umbrellas  and  goloshes;  not  a  speculative,  but 
a  downright  practical  sportsman  of  the  Old  as  well  as  the 
New  School;  not  afraid  of  a  shower  of  rain,  but  ready  to 
face  -all  winds  and  all  weathers  with  his  hounds  in  the 
morning,  and  as  boon  a  companion  over  a  bottle  of  wine  in 
the  evening  as  ever  Bacchus  smiled  upon. 

When  we  think  of  Lord  Cleveland's  possessions,  and  the 
stake  he  holds  in  life :  Avhen  we  look,  I  say,  at  his  rank 
and  station,  and  then  recollect  that  he  has  gone  through  all 
the  labor  in  the  field,  and  a  great  part  of  that  in  the  kennel 
which  is  attached  to  the  situation  of  huntsman  to  so  large 
a  pack  of  fox-hounds  as  his  own,  for  '  thirty-eight  seasons 
uninterruptedly,  and  with  high  reputation  to  himself,  and 
satisfaction  to  the  sportsmen  who  hunted  with  him  ;  '*  when 
we  consider  also  the  great  personal  hazard  to  which  he 
must  have  of  necessity  been  exposed  in  this  long  servitude 
to  his  hounds ;  we  can  scarcely  reconcile  ourselves  to  the 
fact.  But  so  it  is;  and  although  it  is  difficult  to  make  par- 
allels of  men  who  shine  in  the  same  sphere,  I  have  good 
reason  to  believe  his  Lordship  is  as  scientific  in  his  calling 
as  any  other  huntsman  of  his  day.  To  appreciate  a  man's 
merits,  we  must  look  to  his  works;  and  I  assert,  without 
fear  of  contradiction,  that  at  the  present  moment  there  is  as 
fine  and  indeed  as  grand  a  kennel  of  fox-hounds  at  Raby 
Castle  as  any  reasonable  man  would  either  wish  for  or  ex- 
pect. 

*  See  Colonel  Cooke's  Observations  on  Fox-hunling.  published  182G. 


148 


HUNTING    TOt/'R. 


True  it  is,  a  pleasing-  recreation  is  no  task.  The  minis- 
tering passion  stirs  us  up,  and  excites  us  to  deeds  we  should 
otherwise  shrink  from.  Such  is  the  case  here.  The  Mar- 
quis of  Cleveland  is  passionately  fond  of  hunting,  and  every 
thing  appertaining  to  'the  noble  science;'  so  that  he  rarely 
feels  fatigue  in  the  pursuit.  Even  in  his  dress,  we  see  how 
he  honors  fox-hunting.  His  straight-cut  coat  and  leathern 
belt  bespeak  the  huntsman  as  clearly  as  Ovid  says  the  air 
and  habit  of  Gerraanicus  bespoke  the  orator  :  — 

'  Ere  yet  he  speaks,  the  orator  is  seen 
In  all  the  elegance  of  garb  and  mein  !  ' 

I  was  going  to  observe  —  Were  the  Marquis  of  Cleveland 
an  illiterate  man,  with  only  a  second-rate  understanding, 
something  about  the  cut  of  the  Squire  Western's  of  their 
day;  had  Nature  been  less  sparing  of  her  endowments,  all 
this  would  be  far  less  remarkable  than  it  now  appears  ;  but 
the  contrary  is  the  real  fact.  His  Lordship  is  not  only  a 
man  of  very  considerable  natural  talent,  but  of  highly  cul- 
tivated acquirements;  an  adept  in  almost  all  languages; 
and  possesses  what,  in  the  lingo  of  the  world  is  called  as 
good  a  head  as  any  man  in  England  or  any  other  country 
can  boast  of.  He  has  travelled  a  great  deal,  and  now 
spends  his  summers  on  the  Continent  ;  has  a  turn  for  the 
polite  arts,  as  well  as  the  lesser  elegances  of  life  ;  and  nev- 
er forgets  what  he  hears  or  sees.  If,  then,  we  combine  these 
several  advantages  with  his,  great  knowledge  of  the  world, 
we  may  safely  conclude  that  he  has  never  gone  a  hunting, 
like  Gallus  of  old,  from  the  want  of  something  better  to 
amuse  himself  with.  Exclusive  of  all  this,  he  looks  most 
minutely  into  his  private  affairs,  and  business  may  be  said 
to  be  the  pastime  of  his  leisure  hours. 

The  month  of  March,  and  particularly  this  advanced  pe- 
riod of  it,  affords  but  few  opportunities  of  detailing  sport 
with  hounds.  On  Wednesday  20th,  we  did  nothing  worth 
speaking  of  with  the  Raby  pack.  We  were  unfortunate  in 
chopping  our  first  fox  ;  and  our  sport  with  our  second,  which 
we  ran  for  an  hour,  was  destroyed  by  his  being  coursed  by 
a  dog  in  the  first  place,  and  no  scent  in  the  second.  His 
Lordship  rode  Bergami  and  Moses  this  day  —  both  very 
clever  horses,  and  the  former  a  splendid  fencer. 


YORKSHIRE.  149 

We  had  a  considerable  addition  to  our  party  this  day  at 
the  Castle,  amongst  whom  I  was  happy  to  find  some  of  my 
Durham  friends — namely,  all  the  family  of  the  Shaftos, 
Mr.  Harlard,  &c. — and  we  assembled  in  the  state  drawing- 
room. 

No  hunting  on  Thursday,  so  it  was  only  a  day  of  lounge. 
I  accompanied  Mr.  Milbanke  to  the  village  of  Staindrop, 
which  is  just  without  the  park-wall,  and  where  the  horses 
of  all  the  visitors  to  Raby  stand.  As  Mr.  Milbanke  afcd 
Lady  Augusta  always  take  up  their  abode  at  the  Castle 
during  the  residence  of  the  Marquis  in  the  winter,  he  has 
built  for  himself  some  excellent  stables  and  coach  houses 
for  his  own  private  use  ;  but  my  horses  stood  at  the  sign  of 
the  Fox  and  Hounds,  kept  by  the  noted  Bob  Williams,  for 
many  years  head  whipper-in  to  the  Raby  pack.  I  believe  I 
have  already  spoken  of  this  said  Bob  Williams;  first,  as 
having  lived  with  a  brother-in-law  of  mine;  and,  secondly, 
as  having  found  out  a  specific  for  the  cure  of  all  complaints 
of  his  fellow  servants — both  male  and  female;  which  speci- 
fic consisted  in  a  fourth  part  of  a  cordial  ball  dissolved  in  a 
pint  of  hot  Welch  ale.  I  must  not,  however,  thus  lightly 
pass  over  this  celebrated  whipper-in,  but  give  a  little  history 
of  his  sporting  career. 

Bob  Williams  came  to  the  Marquis  of  Cleveland  with  a 
capital  lot  of  hounds,  which  his  Lordship  purchased  from 
Sir  Richard  Puleston  in  1806  or  1807;  and  he  arrived 
with  them  at  Raby  on  a  little  mare,  also  purchased  from 
Sir  Richard,  which  went  by  the  name  of  The  Puleston 
Mare ;  and  which,  as  well  as  himself,  cut  a  conspicuous 
figure  in  the  '  Operations  of  the  Raby  Pack '  for  several 
succeeding  seasons.  She  was  got  by  Young  Snap,  son  of 
the  Old  Hundred-House  Snap,  which  I  believe  Lord  Forest- 
er allows  to  have  been  the  best  hunting  blood  England  was 
ever  possessed  of;  and  there  is  no  doubting  his  authority. 

In  whatever  capacity  we  view  them,  all  men  receive  a 
turn  and  character  from  the  several  occupations  and  pro- 
fessions they  have  followed  in  life ;  and  I  think  I  never 
saw  a  more  complete  cut  of  a  whipper-in  than  my  old  ac- 
quaintance Bob.  He  was  also — which  is  not  always  the 
case — quite  as  good  as  he  looked  to  be :  and  I  really  be- 
lieve, which  is  a  great  deal  to  say,  he  had  but  one  fault ; 

VOL.    II.  13* 


150  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOOK. 

hut  this  fault  was  fatal  -to  him  in  his  capacity  of  head 
whipper-in  to  such  a  pack  of  hounds  as  were  often  entrus- 
ted to  his  care — he  would  get  a  drop  to  much,  and  the  morn- 
ing- and  the  evening  were  all  the  same  to  him. 

Now  the  fact  is,  Bob,  being  a  Welchman,  never  paid  di- 
vine honors  to  water ;  but  unfortunately  for  him,  he  was 
brought  up  in  the  servants'  halls  of  three  great  Welch  Es- 
quires, where  ale  was  dealt  out  with  a  very  liberal  hand; 
ami  we  all  know  what  a  catching  sin  it  is,  and  how  perfect- 
ly irresistible  it  becomes  at  last.  His  late  Noble  master  re- 
linquished his  services  with  the  greatest  reluctance;  but 
what  was  to  be  done  ?  Bob's  complaint  was  incurable  :  and 
I  much  fear,  that,  like  a  King  of  Navarre,  he  is  destined  to 
perish  in  strong  waters.  He  is  much  shook;  and  if  he 
had  kept  the  Saracen's  Head,  instead  of  the  Fox  and  Hounds, 
I  should  have  exclaimed  on  seeing  him. 

At  the  Saracen's  Head  Bob  turns  in  ale  and  wine, 
Until  his  face  does  represent  the  sign. 

As  it  is,  however,  we  may  read  thus: — 

Bob  Williams  keeps  the  Fox  and  Hounds, 

A  house  of  much  resort ;  «• 

And  where,  should  hail  or  rain  abound. 

He's  sure  to  have  his  sport. 

For  though  he  now  no  longer  rides 

To  Fox  and  Hounds  in  chase, 
Yet  on  the  sign-post  at  his  door 

He  sees  them  go  the  pace. 

Now  Fame  will  tell  how  well  he  went, 

On  chesnut,  bay,  or  black, 
How  like  a  workman,  in  his  place, 

Bob  rode  to  the  Raby  pack  ; 

How  well  they  knew  his  cheering  voice; 

How  much  they  feared  his  smack  ; 
'  Have  a  care!  hounds,'  or, '  gently  thert  f  '»•••• 

Was  enough  for  the  Raby  pack. 


YORKSHIRE.  151 

But  now  he  takes  his  morning  glass, ; 

And  here  he's  no  wise  slack — 

Looks  at  his  sign — a  bad  sign  this ! 

And  drinks  to  the  Raby  pack  ! 

I  have  before  mentioned  the  two  present  whippers-in  to 
the  Raby  hounds  :  I  do  not  know  of  two  better;  and  it  is  de- 
lightful to  see  how  devoted  they  are  to  the  sport.  Dick's 
fondness  for  his  hounds  is,  I  should  think  quite  unequalled, 
and  the  language  he  uses  when  speaking  of  them  amused 
me  much.  '  I  like  some  cf  your  young  hounds  very  much 
indeed,'  said  I  one  day  to  him,  'particularly  Carmelite  and 
Baby.' — '  Why,  yes,  Sir,'  replied  Dick,  'I  always  thought 
them  two  very gen-teel  hounds.'  Dick  has  whipped  in  to 
his  Noble  master  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  years. 

After  looking  at  my  horses,  1  took  a  survey  of  Bob  Wil- 
iams's  house,  and  had  a  little  chat  with  him  about  old  times. 
'Bob,'  said  I,  '  we  began  hunting  about  the  same  period  of 
our  lives,  and  have  been  pretty  well  tumbled  about ;  but  I 
know  you  have  had  rather  more  than  your  share  of  hard 
blows  :  tell  me  how  you  have  escaped.' — Why,  Sir,'  replied 
Bob,  '  I  have  been  very  roughly  handled.  I  have  broke 
three  ribs  a  one  side,  and  two  a  t'other  ;  both  collar  bones; 
one  thigh ;  and  been  scalped.  You  remember,  Sir  Watkin's 
Valentine*  ?' — To  be  sure,'  interupted  I ;  '  as  vicious  a  brute 
as  ever  had  a  saddle  on.' — '  Well,  Sir,'  continued  he,  '  he 
tumbled  me  down  just  as  we  were  coming  away  with 
a  fox  from  Marchwiel  gorse,  and  kicked  me  on  the  head 
till  the  skin  hung  down  all  over  my  eyes  and  face:  and  do 
you  know,  Sir,  (laying  an  emphasis  on  those  words  as  if  they 
were  intended  to  convey  something  more  than  was  expect- 
ed,) when  I  gets  to  Wrcxham  I  faints  for  loss  of  blood.' — 
Now  after  all  this,  who  can  wonder  that  this  gallant  horse- 
man, and  certainly  first-rate  artist  in  his  line,  should  like  to 
sit  under  the  shade  of  his  laurels  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  and 
make  it  a  merry  one  if  he  cannot  make  it  a  long  one !  Who 
knows  also  that  he  may  not  have  read  Tom  "Moore? 

*  Bob  Williams  commenced  as  whipper-in  toSirWatkin  Williams 
Wynne,  Bart,  with  whom  he  lived  several  years. 


152  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

'  Friend  of  my  soul !  this  goblet  sip, 

'Twill  chase  that  pensive  tear ; 
"Pis  not  so  sweet  as  woman's  lip. 

But  oh !'  tis  more  sincere.' 

Although  all  conditions  of  life  are  equal  in  the  sight  of 
God,  '  and  of  a  wise  man  too,'  says  a  philosopher ;  yet 
there  is  a  wide  difference  in  the  treatment  of  servants  by 
their  Lords.  Some  are  peremptory  in  every  command,  in- 
exorable to  every  failing,  and  use  their  domestics  as  brutes  ; 
whilst  others  treat  them  with  great  kindness  and  for  the 
most  part  receive  kindness  in  return.  In  the  private  rela- 
tions of  life,  nothing  tells  more  to  a  man's  credit,  or  ensures 
him  a  better  name  in  the  country,  than  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing a  good  master  to  his  servants.  When  Shakspeare's 
Lear  asks  old  Kent,  Why  he  wished  to  be  in  his  service  ?  I 
think  he  answers,  Because  you  have  that  in  your  face 
which  I  should  like  to  call  master.'  The  old  boy  was  no 
bad  judge;  for  we  have  heard  from  very  high  authority 
'  how  good  and  pleasant  a  thing  it  is  to  live  together  in  uni- 
ty.' In  the  language  of  metaphor,  it  has  been  compared  to 
the  precious  ointment  poured  upon  the  head  of  Aaron,  that 
ran  down  to  the  very  skirts  of  his  garment;  by  which  we 
are  to  understand,  that  it  extends  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest  ranks  of  life ;  and  indeed,  without  it  this  world  is  no- 
thing. I  have  tried  most  things ;  but  I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  perfect  tranquillity  of  mind  is  the  ne  plus  ultra 
here. 

The  Marquis  of  Cleveland's  servants  must  have  been  of 
old  Kent's  opinion — that  a  kind  master  is  a  great  recom- 
mendation ;  for  many  of  them  are  remarkable  for  their  long 
services.  As  I  am  ignorant  of  a  great  part  of  the  establish- 
ment, I  can  only  speak  of  a'few.  Tommy  Hodgson  I  have 
mentioned  as  having  lived  more  than  half  a  century  in  the 
family  :  Storey,  the  butler,  as  long,  having  entered  it  when 
a  boy,  and  he  and  his  Lord  are  growing  old  together.  It 
was  to  this  excellent  servant  that  I  before  alluded  when, 
speaking  of  the  diary  of  sport  kept  by  the  Marquis,  and 
published  for  a  long  series  of  years  for  his  profit.  Cicero 
was  not  kinder  to  Tiro  than  Storey's  master  is  fo  him ;  and 
has  honored  him  by  calling  one  of  his  favorite  whin  coverts 


YORKSHIRE.  153 

nfter  him — namely,  Storey's  whin.  I  like  to  see  this:  a 
gentleman  should  be  social  in  his  spirit,  unasuming  in  his 
imnners,  and  kind  to  all  who  approach  him. 

The  coachman  has  lived  with  Lord  Cleveland  between  for- 
ty and  fifty  years  ;  and  by  the  size  of  his  waistcoat  I  should 
imagine  he  had  been  on  pretty  good  terms  with  the  cook 
and  butler :  Thomas  Sayer,  who  was  kennel  huntsman,  and 
afterwards  porter,  the  same  length  of  time;  and  now  alive 
in  his  retirement :  and  Mr.  Barnes,  the  house  steward,  twen- 
ty-two years. 

Wheatley,  his  Lordship's  private  trainer,  and  cousin  to 
the  jockey  of  that  name,  has  been  thirty-five  years  in  his 
place,  and  no  doubt  will  complete  his  half  century,  if  not 
called  away  sooner  by  One  whose  commands  he  must  obey 
even  in  preference  to  his  present  master.  In  his  younger 
days  he  used  to  ride  George  the  Fourth's  light  weights — 
Mother  Bunch,  Mademoiselle,  &c. ;  as  also  Lord  Cleve- 
land's match  with  Pedlar  against  Hippopotamus. 

Amidst  all  the  display  of  wealth  and  magnificence  at  Ra- 
by  Castle  and  Newton  House,  there  is  none  of  that  over- 
strained and  sickly  refinement, 

'  So  dull,  so  vapid,  so  genteel ;' 

that  I  have  too  often  met  with  in  my  walks  through  life;  and 
on  the  evening  previous  to  hunting  days,  the  groom  fre- 
quently makes  his  appearance  in  Lord  Cleveland's  draw- 
ing-room, to  receive  his  orders  from  his  master's  lips.  I 
now  want  the  aid  of  the  pencil ;  fora  Hogarth  or  a  Bun- 
bury  would  not  have  desired  a  better  subject  for  their  fancy 
than  Tommy  Hodgson  would  have  afforded  on  these  occa- 
sions. I  will  endeavor  to  describe  the  scene  as  I  witness- 
ed it. 

The  door  opened  with  an  announcement  of  '  Mr.  Hodg- 
son, my  Lord;'  and  in  walked  Tommy  Hodgson,  present- 
ing a  full  front  to  his  master.  No  soldier  on  parade  could 
present  a  better  ;  no  gate-post  was  ever  straighter;  no  Shaks- 
peare's  apothecary  was  leaner;  and  the  succession  of  lines 
from  the  forehead  to  the  chin  too  plainly  showed  that  age 
had  traced  his  cruel  way  over  Tommy's  honest  face.  Not 


154  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

a  word  escaped  him  until  the  Marquis  took  his  card  *  out 
of  his  pocket,  and  then  the  dialouge  began.  It  was  a  rare 
specimen  of  the  laconic  : — 

Is  Moses  sound  1 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

I  shall  ride  him. 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

Also  Ber garni. 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

Dick,  Swing. 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

Will,  Salopian. 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

Lady  Cleveland,  Raby. 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

Edward,  The  Parson. 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

Lady  Arabella,  The  Duchess. 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

George,  Obadiah- 

Yes,  my  Lord. 

That's  all ! 

Yes,  my  Lord.  [Exit  Tommy. 

I  should  here  add  that  all  these  '  Yes-my-Lords  '  were 
accompanied  with  a  respectful  bob  of  the  "head,  a  partial 
shutting  of  the  eyes,  and  the  thumbs  revolving  with  the  uni- 
form motion  of  a  windmill  impelled  by  the  gentle  breezes  of 
a  spring  morning. 

Lord  Cleveland's  complement  of  hunters  is  thirty;  which, 
after  deducting  those  for  the  Ladies'  use,  leaves  about  .ten 
for  his  Lordship,  and  six  a-piece  for  the  two  whippers-in. 
There  are,  of  course,  some  splendid  horses  in  the  stud,  and 
I  observed  they  all  possess  power  much  more  than  equal 
to  tb/e  weights  they  have  to  carry,  which  is  the  grand  se- 
cret after  all  in  keeping  a  stable  together.  Moses  [a  very 
fine  animal],  Bergami,  Panegyric,  and  Sir  Hedworth  Wil- 

*  List  of  Hunters,  which  his  Lordship  has  every  day  presented  to 
him.  noing  such  horses  as  are  fit  for  work. 


YORKSHIRE.  155 

liamson's  mare,  appeared  the  greatest  favorites  with  the 
Marquis,  and  they  certainly  possess  an  excellent  property 
for  his  close  country.  They  are  very  quiet  at  their  leaps ; 
will  poke  and  creep  into  them  in  any  way  their  rider  likes ; 
but  when  roused,  are  equal  to  clearing  very  great  fences. 

Raby,  Lady  Cleveland's  favorite  horse,  must  not  pass  un- 
noticed. He  is  a  beautiful  animal,  fifteen  hands  three  inches 
high  ;  bright  bay,  with  black  legs  ;  and,  if  he  had  been  be- 
spoken for  the  purpose  he  has  been  put  to,  could  not  be 
more  complete.  Her  Ladyship  has  ridden  him  seven  sea- 
sons, without,  I  believe,  having  ever  given  her  a  fall  ;  and 
she  rewards  him  for  his  care  of  her  by  visiting  him  almost 
every  day  in  the  winter,  and  giving  him  some  plum  bread. 
Strange  to  say,  he  is  particularly  fond  of  it,  always  express- 
ing his  delight  by  a  neigh  when  his  fair  mistress  appears  at 
the  door  of  his  box. 

The  stables  at  Raby  for  hunters  and  coach  horses  are  on 
a  grand  and  very  extensive  scale;  and  there  is  a  most  spa- 
cious riding-school  attached  for  exercise  in  bad  weather. 
There  is  also  a  separate  yard  for  race-horses,  of  which  at 
the  period  I  am  speaking  of,  there  was  no  great  show. 

Friday,  23rd. — We  found  a  leash  of  foxes  in  Hilton 
whin,  and  had  a  beautiful  half  hour  with  one  of  them  over 
a  very  good  country,  and  quite  the  ultra  pace.  Found  again : 
ran  into  rather  a  wild  country,  and  whipped  off,  having  no 
scent. 

Major  St.  Paul — brother  to  the  gentleman  of  that  name 
who  formerly  was  conspicuous  in  Leicestershire — was  out. 
on  this  day.  He  rode  a  clever  young  horse  of  his  own  breed- 
ing, and  I  liked  his  method  of  putting  him  at  his  fences. 
'  But,'  said  the  Marquis, '  did  you  see  a  gentleman  with  the 
hounds  this  morning  by  the  name  of  Trotter  ?'  On  my  an- 
swering in  the  affirmative — '  Then,'  said  his  Lordship,  'you 
/have  seen  the  best  horseman  I  ever  saw  in  my  experience  in 
the  field.  Mr.  Trotter  has  been  all  his  life,  not  only  a  most 
superior  rider  over  a  country,  but  he  has  ridden  with  admi- 
rable temper  and  judgment,  and  never  pressed  upon  hounds.' 
Mr.  Trotter  must  ride  at  least  fifteen  stone.  He  resides  at 
the  Deanry,  at  S  a;ndrop. 

Saturday,  24th. — The  Raby  pack  met  at  Crag  Wood,  a 
wild  place  to  look  at,  but  likely  to  hold  a  good  wild  fox. 


156  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

We  found  immediately,  and  a  beautiful  find  it  was ;  but  our 
fox  was  headed  by  the  foot  people,  and  our  chance  here  wns 
lost.  We  found  again  in  Etherley  Wood,  and  lost  on  the 
banks  of  the  Wear. — A  bad  day's  sport  for  the  hard  riders, 
but  a  deal  of  good  hunting. 

The  turn-out  from  the  Castle  this  morning  was  good — in 
all,  I  think,  nearly  twenty  red  coats  and  scarlet  habits,  and 
the  Marchioness  was  mounted  on  Raby.  Mrs.  Wilkinson 
also  joined  us  at  the  covert's  side,  and  I  had  seen  this  lady 
once  in  the  field  before.  Lady  Augusta  Milbanke  rode  a 
thorough-bred  horse,  formerly  in  Mr.  Maxse's  stable,  and 
one  which  but  few  women  would  have  nerve  for.  He  likes 
to  go  quick  at  his  fences  ;  but  her  Ladyship's  hand  was  quite 
a  match  for  him,  and  I  saw  him  very  well  piloted  over  two 
or  three  awkward  places.  The  Marquis  rode  the  bay  mare 
he  purchased  of  Sir  Hedworth  Williamson,  and  rode  her 
over  a  very  dangerous  place  towards  the  end  of  the  second 
run.  She  had  to  spring  at  a  bank  faced  xvith  stone,  having 
her  footing  on  large  flat  stones  in  a  water-course,  which  had 
been  rendered  slippery  by  the  current.  A  slip  might  have 
been  awkward  to  legs  and  thighs ;  but  his  Lordship  will 
get  to  his  hounds  if  possible,  and  that  mare  is  paiticularlv 
careful  and  steady. 

Billy  Williamson  was  also  out  this  day;  and  I  am  sorry 
to  add,  met  with  a  serious  accident.  He  rode  at  a  small 
fence  into  a  road,  when  his  horse  fell,  and  threw  him  with 
much  violence  to  the  ground.  Being  close  behind  him,  I 
was  immediately  aware  that  mischief  had  ensued  ;  for  on  his 
horse  and  himself  recovering  their  legs,  one  ran  to  the  left, 
and  the  other  to  the  right.  There  was  something  very 
frightful  in  the  motions  of  Mr.  Williamson.  He  ran  wildly 
down  the  road,  rubbing  his  head  hardly  with  his  hand,  for 
the  space  of  fifty  yards,  and  then  fell  to  the  ground.  Mr. 
Harland  and  myself  instantly  approached  him,  when  we 
found  all  the  front  teeth  of  his  upper  jaw  gone,  his  mouth 
fall  of  blood,  and  he  complained  much  of  his  head.  I  under- 
stand he  is  all  right  again  now,  with  a  fresh  set  of  ivories  ; 
but  it  is  rather  a  cruel  trick  for  the  old  Dame  to  play  so 
good-looking  a  young  man  as  he  is,  and  just  in  the  heyday 
of  youth.  I  like,  however,  the  way  he  spoke  of  the  acci- 
dent afterwards.  ''I  would  not,1  said  he,  '  have  taken  a  thous- 


YORKSHIRE.  157 

and  pounds  for  my  teeth  ;  but  I  should  not  have  cared  so 
much  for  the  loss  of  them,  had  the  accident  happened  at  the 
fininsh  of  a  d — d  fine  run  !' 

Major  Healey  was  also  out  to  day  :  he  is  a  workman  ; 
but  on  this  day  he  was,  like  myself,  suffering  from  an  inju- 
ry in  his  back,  and  not  able  to  ride  over  a  fence."  The  Ma- 
jor's brother,  Captain  Healey,  goes  well,  considering  he 
has  lost  an  arm,  and  his  performance  did  not  escape  the 
keen  eye  of  Godfrey  Graham.  '  I  say,  papa,'  said  he  to 
Sir  Bellingham,  as  he  trotted  by  him  on  his  pony,  in  the 
true  Harrow-school  lingo,  'how  devishly  that  one-armed  fel- 
low rides  /' 

I  have  stated  that  the  Marchioness  of  Cleveland  was  out 
on  this  day.  She  is  a  most  graceful  horse-woman  :  and, 
when  her  favorite  hunter,  Brighton,  was  in  his  prime,  cut  a 
prominent  figure  in  '  The  Operations  of  the  Raby  Pack.' 

The  Ladies  Augusta  Milbanke  and  Arabella  Vane  are 
constant  attendants  on  the  Raby  pack  three  times  a  fortnight, 
which  is  pretty  good  work  for  the  softer  sex.  They  have 
been  well  entered  to  hounds  from  their  very  infancy ;  yet  it 
would  be  difficult  to  produce  two  more  amiable  or  accom- 
plished persons.  As  for  Lady  Augusta,  she  is  not  only  a 
fine  rider,  but  she  is  nothing  less  than  a  sportswoman.  She 
is  as  attentive  to  hounds  in  their  work  as  her  noble 
father  himself,  and  he  never  enjoyed  a  fine  run  more.  Then 
look  at  the  elegant  and  delicate  Lady  Arabella  Vane,  of 
whom  it  may  be  said,  a  hundred  years  hence, 

'  Non  ilia  loco,  neque  origine  gentis 
Clara,  sed  arte  fuit*:' 

and  who  Avill  say  that  fox-hunting  abates  woman's  softness? 
In  the  dining  room  of  Raby  Castle  is  a  grand  picture  of 
the  Feast  of  Canaan  ;  but  I  was  more  pleased  with  several 
on  sporting  subjects.  There  are  three  groups  of  hounds 
particularly  well  executed,  and  abeautiful  portrait  of  the  bitch 
Costive,  which  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  Niobe  of  the 
Raby  pack.  This  noted  bitch  is  buried  in  the  pleasure 

*  Not  more  conspicuous  by  her  birth  than  her  accomplishments. 

VOL.    II.  14 


158  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

grounds  of  the  Castle,  and  her  cemetery  is  enclosed  by  a 
wall. 

The  picture,  by  Marshall,  of  Lord  Darlington  and  his 
hounds,  from  which  the  well-known  print  is  taken,  also  ad- 
orns these  walls ;  and  there  are  portraits  of  four  celebrated 
hunters  and  two  distinguished  race-horses.  Amongst  the 
latter  are  Haphazard,  with  Pierse  the  jockey  and  Sam 
Wheatley  the  training  groom  ;  arid  Muley  Moloch,  with 
Mr.  Hardy  Thompson  and  Mr.  Trotter.  In  short  this  splen- 
did apartment  is  quite  in  character  with  everything  else  at 
Raby. 

The  kennel  at  Raby  was  bui}t  by  the  late  Earl  of  Dar- 
lington and  the  late  Duke  of  Cleveland  ;  fox-hounds  were 
kept  in  it  many  years.  It  is  a  Gothic  ornamented  building, 
conspicuously  situated  in  the  park,  and  possesses  every 
comfort  and  convenience  for  the  largest  establishment  of 
fox-hounds.  The  Raby  hounds  are  divided  into  an  old  and 
a  young  pack  ;  and  bear  evidence  of  being  bred  by  a  judic- 
ious hand. 

As  a  horseman  Lord  Cleveland  deserves  a  word.  What 
most  men  delight  in,  that  is,  a  fine-mouthed  horse  is  far 
from  a  treat  to  him.  He  rides  all  his  horses  with  a  hard 
hand,  and  consequently  likes  those  that  will  bear  against 
him ;  and  he  has  a  peculiar  way  of  putting  them  at  their 
fences.  I  have  seen  him  absolutely  make  them  paw  down 
the  hedge  before  he  will  let  them  rise,  if  there  should  be  a 
blind  and  deep  ditch  on  the  other  side,  by  which  plan  he  no 
doubt  saves  many  falls  ;  and  he  had  but  one  whilst  I  was 
in  the  North.  His  perfect  knowledge  of  the  country  also 
gives  him  a  great  advantage  in  getting  to  his  hounds,  and 
he  is  seldom  far  from  them  when  wanting. 

Lord  Cleveland's  annual  publication  of  The  Operations 
of  the  Raby  Pack  at  once  shows  the  man.  There  is  an 
enthusiastic  admiration  in  his  descriptions  of  some  of  the 
runs,  which  proves  how  his  very  heart  and  soul  have  shared 
in  the  sport  of  the  day.  Such  expressions  as  these  often  oc- 
cur— 'Most  divine,  enthusiastic  hunting,  with  a  delightful 
recovery  at  last !' — '  The  darling  hounds  behaved  like  jew- 
els !'  distinguishing  several  of  them  by  their  names.  On 
one  occasion,  indeed,  some  years  back,  he  gave  at  his  own 
table  the  health  of  Centinel,  Bonnyface,  and  Lazarus, 


YORKSHIRE.  159 

hounds  which  had  particularly  distinguished  themselves  in 
a  run. 

In  looking1  over  these  books  for  several  past  years'  sport, 
I  saw  they  were  often  turned  to  a  good  account.  In  181 1, 
a  hard  riding  gentleman  receives  the  folio  wing  mild  rebuke: 
4  A  very  good  run,'  says  his  Lordship,  'but  unfortunately 
lost  by  Mr.  J.  B.,  an  excellent  sportsman,  who  never  means 
to  do  wrong,  but,  from  great  keenness,  is  sometimes  too  for- 
ward, which  as  an  old  sportsman,  I  claim  a  right  to  say  to 
him.' 

The  following  (in  1825  and  1826)  applies  well  to  all 
fox-killing  lords  or  their  keepers.  '  In  consequence  of  the 
innumerable  foxes  which  '  Lord  Tyrconnel  reported  to  me 
were  about  Kipling,  and  attacking  his  hares — in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  day  one  of  his  Lordship's  keepers  saw  three  fox- 
es worrying  a  hare — I  selected  sixteen  couples  of  my  best 
and  steadiest  hounds  to  go  to  Kipling  at  eleven  o'clock,  and 
obey  his  Lordship's  commands,  when  they  tried  every  myr- 
tle, rush,  whin  bush,  hazel  tree,  brick-kiln  remains,  thorn 
hedge,  pleasure  ground,  and  pheasant-preserve  appurtenan- 
ces, without  ever  finding  a  fox,  for  nearly  three  hours,  ex- 
cept one  most  unfortunate  old  dog  fox,  which  was  instantly 
killed,  and  laboring  under  a  poisonous  disorder  called  the 
scab. 

Again :  '  Went  to  Holmebank  whin  ;  found  only  one 
fox  (although  Mr.  Ramsden  and  his  keeper  stated  that  foxes 
were  very  abundant),  and  we  ran  into  the  small  wood  next 
to  Newby  Park,  where  the  hounds  enjoyed  such  quantities 
of  hares  that  they  have,  with  the  assistance  of  traps  last  year 
banished  the  foxes.' 

After  stating  the  names  of  the  places  at  which  the  hounds 
met;  the  coverts  in  which  foxes  have  been  found  ;  the  days 
on  which  foxes  were  either  killed  or  earthed,  between  the 
31st  of  August  1825  and  the  18th  of  April  1826,  with  a 
detailed  account  of  each  day's  sport — this  Book  concludes 
with  a  list  of  the  hounds;  casualties  of  the  pack;  and 
hounds  drafted  in  the  kennel:  and  the  following  is  the  re- 
sult of  the  season's  sport :  killed  eighty-eight  foxes — earthed 
twenty-one,  blank  days  none  ! ! 

There  are  two  or  three  very  clipping  riders  in  the  Raby 
Hunt :  and  the  gentleman  of  the  blackc\oih  are  quite  as  conspic- 


160  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

uous  as  the  pinks.  Amongst  the  former  Mr.  John  Monson 
is  pre-eminent ;  but  Messrs.  Newton  and  Henderson  are 
always  in  good  places.  Mr.  Milbanke  is  quite  a  first-rater, 
being  as  quick  as  any  man  need  to  be;  and  quick  must  he 
or  any  other  man  be  to  live  with  these  hounds.  Like  Bob 
Williams,  and  a  good  many  more  that  I  could  name,  he  has 
been  rather  roughly  handled  in  the  field,  having  been  blood- 
ed no  less  than  nine  times,  in  consequence  of  severe  falls 
with  hounds.  He  is,  however,  nothing  daunted,  but  will 
be  close  to  their  sterns  if  possible. 

I  was  also  much  pleased  with  the  style  of  riding  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Maude,  of  Selaby,  Captain  Baird  T  did  not  see  in 
the  field  'during  my  stay  in  the  North,  but  I  believe  he  was 
unwell.  Of  that  great  artist,  however,  or  of  Sir  Belling- 
ham  Graham — who  is  now  a  Raby  huntsman — I  need  say 
nothing  as  I  should  only  waste  my  words. 

Mr.  Wharton  (the  well-known  Jerry  Wharton)  is  almost 
altogether  on  a  visit  to  Lord  Cleveland  in  the  hunting  sea- 
son. He  is  a  good,  workman,  and  generally  well  mounted, 
having  this  year  a  horse  Mr.  Holyoake  offered  him  400 
guineas  for. 

Monday,  26th. — The  Raby  pack  met  this  day  at  a  place 
with  a  wild  name,  and  wild  also  by  nature;  I  think  it  is 
called  Grain-raw.  It  is  situated  on  the  borders  of  an  open 
country  almost  approaching  to  moors,  and  affords  them 
some  very  fine  runs  with  old  travelling  foxes  in  the  spring. 
The  Marquis  promised  me  a  treat  this  day ;  but  unfortunate- 
ly our  game  took  the  wrong  line  of  country,  and  we  had 
no  great  diversion.  We  found  in  an  unenclosed  gorse,  but 
could  make  nothing  of  it.  We  found  again,  and  had  a  very 
sharp  thing  to  ground,  Lord  Cleveland  viewing  him  before 
his  hounds  for  more  than  two  miles.  Bolted  him  and  kill- 
ed. Did  not  find  again,  and  drew  more  country  blank  this 
day  than  I  had  ever  seen  with  the  Raby  pack.  There  Avas 
a  good  field  considering  the  wildness  of  the  place. 

Tuesday,  27th. — The  fixture  Raby,  an4  tne  turn-out  from 
the  Castle  was  grand — the  scarlet  habits  again  mingling 
with  the  throng,  and  the  Marchioness  on  Raby.  We  found  : 
but  our  fox  taking  down  wind  with  very  little  scent,  we 
could  do  nothing  worth  speaking  of.  Found  two  more  fox- 
es in  the  morning— chopping  one;  but  in  the  afternoon  we 


• 

YORKSHIRE.  161 

drew  one  of  the  fine  whins  in  the  park,  when  a  fox  went 
gallantly  away,  and  gave  them  a  good  half  hour,  very  best 
pace. 

There  was  a  fine  old  sportsman  on  a  visit  at  Raby  Castle 
on  this  day,  the  veteran  Colonel  O'Callaghan  ;  who,  although 
at  a  very  advanced  age,  retains  all  the  good  humor  and  gai- 
ety of  youth,  and  was  a  match  at  a  rubber  of  shorts  for  any 
of  them.  He  resides  at  Heighington,  not  far  from  Raby. 

Wednesday,  28th.— Took  leave  of  Raby,  and  made  the 
best  of  rny  way  for  Ferrybridge,  about  eighty  miles  south, 
where  some  horses  awaited  my  arrival,  and  where  I  intend- 
ed sojourning  a  few  days  to  see  the  Badsvvorth  hounds. 

Thursday,  29th.— Met  the  Badsworth  at  Hutt  Green  about 
eight  miles  from  Ferrybridge.  There  had  been  a  ball  at 
York  the  night  before ;  so  that,  instead  of  meeting,  as  I  ex- 
pected, a  large  field,  with  many  of  whom  I  should  have 
been  acquainted,  Jack  Richards,  the  huntsman,  was  the  on- 
ly man  out  of  whom  I  could  say  'how  do  you  do?' 

Lord  Hawke  has  had  the  management  of  these  hounds 
since  Mr.  Petre  gave  them  up  ;  and  his  Lordship,  in  spite 
of  the  ball,  which  he  had  attended,  was  at  his  post  about  an 
hour  after  the  usual  time.  He  very  politely  informed  me 
that  he  had  enjoyed  a  good  season's  sport,  and  had  not  been 
absent  from  his  hounds  one  day  since  the  hunting  season* 
had  commenced.  This  I  though  looked  very  well  in  a  young 
one. 

When  I  say  we  found  a  fox,  I  have  said  all.  The  clerk 
of  the  weather  was  determined  we  should  do  nothing;  "for, 
what  with  wind  rain  and  snow,  a  more  miserable  day  no 
man  ever  encountered  by  choice.  After  drawing  Pollington 
whin,  I  returned  to  Ferrybridge,  where  I  was  capitally  ac- 
commodated in  every  way. 

It  would  be  presumptuous  in  me  to  give  an  opinion  of  the 
Badsworth  pack  after  so  short  an  acquaintance,  and  this 
with  only  part  of  them  ;  but  what  I  saw  did  not  very  much 
captivate  my  sight.  I  thought  them  rather  coarse,  and  want- 
ing that  airy  form  and  peculiar  scale  which  characteiize 
the  high-bred  fox-hound  of  the  present  day.  Modish  and 
Roman  attracted  my  notice ;  and  on  looking  at  the  list  I 
find  they  have  bred  from  Roman,  although  they  have  very 
little  of  their  own  blood  on  the  sire's  side.  Modish  is  neat, 

VOL.    II.  14* 


162  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

but  of  too  close  a  frame  to  please  my  eye.  I  believe  she  is 
dam  of  the  York  Twister.  The  pack  is  small,  consisting 
of  only  forty  couples. 

Of  their  country  I  can  say  nothing,  for  I  saw  nothing. 
Jack  Richards  looked  uncommonly  well  and  sportsmanlike, 
but  is  a  good  deal  heavier  than  when  I  saw  him  swim  the 
Thame  in  Staffordshire,  when  whipping-in  to  Sir  Belling- 
ham  Graham,  by  whom  he  was  brought  up;  and  I  used  to 
think  him  an  excellent  whipper-in  when  in  his  service. 
Jack  Chapel — another  of  Sir  Bellingham's  pupils — whips 
in  to  Richards,  and  a  very  clever  fellow  he  is;  perhaps  as 
fine  a  horseman  as  ever  sate  in  a  saddle. 

Saturday,  3 1st. — Set  out  to  meet  Lord  Harewood's  hounds, 
which  met  twelve  miles  from  Ferrybridge.  When  I  had 
proceeded  about  a  mile  on  my  road,  I  found  the  weather  so 
boisterous  that  any  chance  of  sport  was  at  an  end;  and, 
having  sent  some  horses  to  Melton  Mowbray,  turned  right 
about,  put  myself  on  the  box  of  the  Edinburgh  mail,  and 
got  to  Grantham  by  dinner.  I  learnt  afterwards  that  I  had 
acted  wisely;  for  the  day,  the  country,  and  everything  was 
against  sport;  and  those  who  reached  the  covert  soon  made 
the  best  of  their  way  home  again. 

I  was,  however,  disappointed  in  not  seeing  Lord  Hare- 
wood's  hounds.  It  is  an  old-established  pack,  and,  of  course 
there  is  no  want  of  the  means  to  do  the  thing  well ;  and 
money  is  almost  a  sine  qua  non  in  fox-hunting.  A  strange 
circumstance  happened  last  season  with  these  hounds.  Their 
huntsman  imprudently  capped  them  into  a  very  rapid  mill- 
stream,  and  three  or  four  couples  were  drowned.  A  young 
gentleman  named  Markham,  gallantly  plunged  in  to  their 
assistance,  and  very  narrowly  escaped  their  fate.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  saving  one  of  them. 

April  1st. — Arrived  at  Melton,  and  had  the  pleasure  of 
dining  at  the  Old  Club.  On  the  2nd,  met  Mr.  Osbaldeston 
at  Kirby  Gate — (he  Lady  pack  looking  in  high  beauty,  and 
a  thundering  large  field.  Rode  Captain  Ross's  Waterman, 
brother  to  Clinker;  and,  in  spite  of  the  Decalogue,  could 
not  help  wishing  he  belonged  to  my  stable. 

A  curious  circumstance  connects  itself  with  this  clay's 
hunting.  There  was  a  fox  which  has  given  these  hounds  no 
less  than  three  remarkably  sharp  bursts  from  Carberry  Hill 


YORKSHIRE.  163 

without  their  being  able  to  catch  him,  and  he  had  in  conse- 
quence obtained  the  name  of  the  Carberry  Hill  Fox.  What 
was  also  extraordinary,  he  always  took  the  same  line  to- 
wards Orton,  and  the  following  are  the  various  periods  for 
which  he  stood  before  this  celebrated  pack  :  first  time,  twen- 
ty-eight minutes;  second  time,  twenty  five  minutes  ;  third 
time,  twenty-three  minutes,  defeating  them  on  each*.  On 
the  day  I  am  speaking  of,  he  did  not  wait  to  be  found ; 
but  we  viewed  him  going  gallantly  away,  and  taking  his 
old  line — George  Marriott  close  at  his  brush,  with  his  hat 
in  his  hand,  hallooing  as  ifthe  devil  was  in  him ;  but  George 
Marriott,  I  suppose,  is  a  privileged  man. 

As  may  be  expected,  all  the  hard-riding  men  were  on 
the  alert,  and  hard  indeed  did  those  ride  who  went  any- 
where near  the  hounds  on  this  day.  The  pace  was  truly 
awful  ;  but  that  was  not  all.  If  he  had  picked  Leicester- 
shire, this  fox  could  not,  1  should  imagine,  have  found  four 
or  five  more  distressing  fields  for  the  nags  than  those  they 
had  at  first  to  encounter — all  against  the  collar,  high  ridges 
with  deep  furrows,  and  the  latter,  between  wet  and  dry,  al- 
most enough  to  pull  their  legs  off.  Had  it  not  been  for  a 
bit  of  a  check  in  a  road  fora  minute  or  two,  where  several 
changed  their  horses  for  fresh  ones,  some  of  the  best-  must 
have  declined :  as  I  heard  Lord  Alvanley  (who  went  as 
usual  like  a  good  one)say,  his  horse  had  just  carried  him 
those  ten  minutes,  and  that  was  all  that  he  could  do.  His 
Lordship,  however,  jumped  on  a  fresh  one  at  the  check, 
and  went  on.  As  Captain  Ross'  horses  had  been  thrown 
out  of  work,  in  consequence  of  his  having  been  an  invalid, 
I  was  only  a  looker-on  ;  but  to  any  one  who  had  never  seen 
Leicestershire  before,  this  burst  would  have  afforded  a  very 
pretty  specimen.  Sir  Bellingham  Graham  also  declined  a"t 
the  same  time  with  myself,  having  only  taken  a  peep  at 
them  on  one  of  Mr-  Maxse's  horses,  being  still  unable  to 
ride  from  the  fracture  he  had  received  in  the  North.  I  fin- 
ished this  day  most  agreeably  under  Sir  Harry  Goodricke's 
mahogany,  where  I  met  several  old  friends,  who  like  my 

*  Mr.  Osbaldeston  had  another  turn  at  this  fox  late  in  the  month  of 
April,  when  he  beat  him  again,  after  a  very  severe  run  over  partly  the 
same  country. 


164  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

self,  were  partakers  of  the  hospitality  and  good  fare  of  the 
truly  sporting  Baronet. 

Tuesday,  3rd. — Met  the  Quorn  hounds  at  Widmerpool 
Inn.  This  was  never  a  favorite  fixture  with  me.  The 
country  about  Winnstay  gorse  is  about  as  bad  as  anything 
in  the  provincials  ;  and  it  is  not  only  deep,  but  most  disa- 
greeably sticky  and  holding  for  horses,  of  which  none  but 
the  very  best  can  go  there.  We  drew  a  good  covert,  how- 
ever, on  this  day,  called  Parson's  Gorse,  and  encountered 
one  of  the  evils  attending  spring  hunting.  The  pack  had 
passed  through  without  a  feather  when  unfortunately  a  far- 
mer espied  a  fox  in  one  corner  of  the  gorse,  and  gave  the  of- 
fice. It  is  in  vain  to  attempt  to  stop  fox-hounds  with  their 
game  in  view:  and  in  less  than  two  minutes,  a  vixen,  with 
six  cubs  in  her,  was  torn  to  pieces  by  the  pack.  We  had  a 
large  field;  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  for  horses,  and  a 
beautiful  pack  of  hounds — dog  pack  No.  1. 

I  was  treated  this  day  to  a  ride  on  Mr.  Maher's  Picton, 
which  I  call  a  perfect  hunter  for  the  weight  he  can  carry. 
The  free  use  of  his  shoulders,  in  all  his  paces,  is  quite 
above  praise.  Highly,  however,  as  Mr.  M.  values  this  first 
rate  horse,  he  rode  him  hack  in  London  in  May  and  June 
last,  and  told  me  he  thought  it  was  better  for  him  than 
doing  nothing.  Mr.  Maher  has  been  a  regular  Melton  man 
for  twenty-two  seasons ;  and  his  nerve  and  horsemanship 
are  unrivalled  even  there.  He  amused  me  by  saying  he 
had  rather  ride  to  and  from  covert  all  his  life  in  Leicester- 
shire, than  hunt  in  three  parts  of  the  counties  of  England 
in  which  hounds  are  kept.  Met  a  considerable  party  at 
dinner  this  evening  at  Sir  Harry's. 

Wednesday,  4th. — Croxton  Park  races.  All  went  off 
very  pleasantly  and  well,  with  a  good  display  of  gentleman 
jockeyship — Messrs.  White,  "Kent,  Captain  F.  Berkeley, 
Lord  Wilton,  &c.  Returned  from  the  course  on  Mr.  Payne's 
coach — a  beautiful  team  and  very  well  handled  by  Mr.  P. ; 
made  one  of  a  very  large  party  at  Sir  Harry's;  and  finish- 
ed the  evening  at  the  Cocking. 

Thursday,  5th, — Met  the  Duke  of  Rutland's  hounds  at 
Stowe  Wood,  about  twelve  miles  from  Melton,  a  woodland 
country,  but  looking  much  like  the  land  of  fox-hunting : — 
a  very  large  field,  and  drew  a  great  tract  of  country  without 


YORKSHIRE.  165 

touching-  on  a  fox — partly,  perhaps,  owing1  to  Lord  Lons- 
dale's  hounds  having  run  through  several  of  the  coverts  on 
the  preceding  day.  When  we  did  find,  however,  we  could 
not  get  on ;  for  we  had  two  enemies  to  contend  with — a 
harsh  wind  and  hot  sun.  The  hounds  hunted  to  admira- 
tion, and  looked  in  their  usual  good  form;  but  April  hunt- 
ing is  generally  a  failure. 

No  sooner  is  a  thorough-bred  hunter  seen  in  Leicester- 
shire than  he  is  sold,  if  his  owner  is  disposed  to  part  with 
him.  I  rode  Shamrock  at  Stowe  Wood,  and  the  following 
morning  he  became  the  property  of  Mr.  Middleton  Bid- 
dulph — at  a  premium  of  course,  as  they  say  on  'Change. 

Friday,  6th. — Met  Mr.  Osbaldeston  at  Six  Hills.  Found 
in  Cussington  Gorse,  the  fox  taking  a  beautiful  line,  as  if 
thinking  of  Melton  Spinney;  but  there  was  not  an  atom  of 
scent.  To  my  surprise  we  drew  Munday's  Gorse  blank, 
and  a  vast  deal  of  country  besides,  persevering  till  five 
o'clock.  Amongst  a  host  of  sportsmen  from  all  parts  of 
His  Majesty's  dominions,  was  Sir  Edward  Mostyn  on  the 
Clipper,  for  which  horse  he  gave  six  hundred  guineas.  He 
is  certainly  a  very  grand  animal,  although  Nature  has 
somewhat  defaced  her  work  by  giving  him  white  stockings. 
Went  with  Mr-  Osbaldeston  to  Q,uorn,  and,  although  past 
seven  o'clock  when  we  arrived  there,  looked  over  the  young 
hounds  before  we  fed. 

Saturday,  6th. — Met  the  Quorn  hounds  at  Widmerpool 
Inn.  We  were  a  long  time  finding  a  fox  this  day.  At 
half-past  three  o'clock,  however,  Lord  Rancliffe's  wood  at 
Bunny  produced  us  a  good  one,  and  we  had  half  an  hour 
very  sharp,  but  lost  him.  I  rode  a  charming  horse  of  Mr. 
Osbaldeston's,  called  Blucher,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing Mr.  Biddulph  say  he  would  not  take  three  hundred 
guineas  for  little  Shamrock,  although  he  ran  away  twice 
with  him  in  tbje  run.  In  the  skurrj^  that  straitforward  one, 
Captain  Frederick  Berkeley,  got  a  damper  in  a  brook,  but 
it  was  a  yawner. 

Good  hounds  and  sport  are  not  naturally  co-existing  cir- 
cumstances. Excellent  as  the  Q,uorn  packs  must  be  allow- 
ed to  be,  they  did  not  show  much  sport  last  year,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  splendid  things,  particularly  one  from 
the  Coplowwith  the  bitches,  which,  I  believe,  was  consider- 


166  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

ed  quite  the  ultra  of  fox-hunting.  They  went  away  close 
at  his  brush  from  this  classic  ground,  taking  over  the  fine 
lordships  of  Norton-by-Galby  and  Oaclby,  and  ran  into  him 
near  Wigston,  AFTER  A  BURST  OF  FORTY-EIGHT  MINUTES 
WITHOUT  A  CHECK  !  !  There  was  a  trifling  pause,  I  was 
told,  owing  to  a  flock  of  sheep,  but  the  scent  was  carried 
on  in  a  trot,  so  there  was  but  little  relief  for  the  bellows, 
and  only  six  or  seven  saw  the  finish.  I  need  not  say  these 
were  first-raters  ;  but  for  the  honor  of  thjt  noble  animal 
the  horse,  I  am  proud  to  add,  there  was  one  welter-weight 
up  at  the  death — Mr.  Maxse,  on  the  Baron. 

Such  runs  as  these,  in  any  country,  are  'like  angels' 
visits,  few  and  far  between,'  but  they  must  be  highly  grati- 
fying to  a  master  of  hounds  in  Leicestershire;  and  I  can 
fancy  the  Squire  and  Jack  Stevens  talking  over  this  day's 
sport  on  their  road  home  with  the  pack.  '  Well,  Jack," 
methinks  the  Squire  to  have  exclaimed,  '  thank  God,  ice  went 
fast  enough  for  them  to-day  !  There  was  no  occasion  to 
cry  Hold  hard  !  no  pressing  upon  the  hounds  ;  and  I  would 
have  betted  a  guinea  to  a  shilling  on  blood  after  the  first  ten 
minutes.' 

Mr.  Osbaldeston's  hounds  showed  great  sport  in  their 
new  country,  Northamptonshire — the  natural  consequence 
of  having  what  may  be  called  fair  play.  I  also  understand 
that  in  his  office  as  huntsman  he  has  been  extremely  fair 
towards  his  foxes,  on  which  subject  it  would  be  well  if  some 
of  his  brother  huntsmen  would  take  a  hint.  '  Murdering 
foxes,'  said  the  great  Meynell,  '  is  a  most  absurd  prodigality ; 
for  seasoned  foxes  are  as  necessary  to  sport  as  experienced 
hounds.'  That  Mr.  Osbaldeston's  hounds  are  as  good  as 
hounds  can  be,  I  think  no  sportsman  who  has  seen  them 
will  deny. 

I  was  delighted  to  see  Lord  Alvanley  going  so  brilliantly 
over  Leicestershire,  notwithstanding  his  increased  weight, 
and  having  been,  as  we  say  in  the  stable,  out  of  regular 
work  for  some  of  the  past  seasons.  His  Lordship,  also,  we 
well  know,  has  been  very  intimate  with  '  the  little  hours? 
which  the  doctors  tell  us  are  not  favorable  to  the  nervous 
system;  but  his  nerves  are  equal  to  the  largest  fence  in 
Leicestershire,  and  for  pace,  he  is  quite  in  the  first  flight. 

Lord  Alvanley's  return  to  Melton  Mowbray  has  been 


YORKSHIRE.  167 

hailed  as  a  happy  omen  of  perpetuating  the  renown  of  Lei- 
cestershire as  a  hunting  country.  Whithersoever 'he  goes, 
he  must  act  as  a  magnet;  for  his  presence  and  conversation 
may  be  compared  to  the  Sun's  rays,  which  enliven  every 
hour  of  the  day  ;  and  as  for  the  night — 

'  He  is  so  fu  11  \>f  pleasant  anecdote; 
So  rich,  so  gay,  so  poignant  in  his  wit ; 
Time  vanishes  before  him  as  he  speaks, 
And  ruddy  morning  through  the  lattice  peeps 
Ere  night  seems  \vell  begun.' 

His  appearance  and  costume  in  the  field  also  amused  me 
much.  He  wears  what  maybe  compared  to  the  Regulation 
jack-boot  of  the  Royal  Horse  Guards  Blue,  the  top  of  which 
reaches  considerably  higher  than  the  knee,  and  doubtless 
protects  him  from  the  thorns  and  blows  he  would  otherwise 
receive  in  cramming  through  the  rough  Leicestershire 
fences,  of  which  he  is  anything  but  shy. 

On  Sunday  the  8th,  I  left  Q,uorn,  and  proceeded  to  Lon- 
don on  my  road  home,  ordering  my  groom  to  make  the 
best  of  his  road  to  Lyndhurst  with  my  horses,  to  enable  me 
to  top  up  the  season  in  the  Forest. 

Having  now  turned  my  back  upon  Yorkshire,  I  began  to 
ruminate  upon  what  I  had  seen  in  it.  Its  character,  as  a 
fox-hunting  country,  is  comprised  in  a  few  words.  It  is, 
like  all  the  provincials,  too  close  to  enjoy  hounds  in,  and 
subject  to  everlasting  interruptions  from  coverts,  rivers, 
canals,  and  rail-roads.  The  ploughed  land  in  some  parts 
may  rather  be  termed  rotten  than  deep — though,  generally 
speaking,  this  is  by  no  means  its  character — but  in  the 
Bedale  country  the  grass  land  is  particularly  sound  and 
dry.  The  fences,  with  the  exception  of  the  brooks,  are  such 
as  do  not  so  much  put  to  the  test  the  spring  and  power  of  a 
hunter,  as  his  temper  and  the  ready  use  of  his  legs ;  but 
the  finger  of  his  rider  is  almost  constantly  put  to  the  trial. 
It  is  a  country  in  which  men  who  ride  quickly  over  it  must 
get  falls. 

For  scent,  I  should  say,  Yorkshire  is  upon  the  whole  fa- 
vorable, and  Holderness  good  to  the  proverb ;  but,  notwith- 
standing this,  I  have  reason  to  think  straight-forward  runs 
are  scarce  articles  in  this  land  of  sporting.  It  must,  how- 


168  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

ever,  be  recollected,  that  the  majority  of  the  coverts  are, 
whin,  and  ringing  runs  generally  prevail  where  they 
abound,  which  accounts  for  the  ease  with  which  gentlemen 
now  jump  upon  their  second  horses  in  Leicestershire.  A 
fox  breaking  from  a  wood  has  usually  time  to  look  about 
him,  steal  quietly  away,  and  make  his  point :  but  from  a 
gorse  covert  he  is  almost  always  viewed  away,  is  alarmed, 
gets  blown,  and  turns  short. 

As  a  sporting  county,  Yorkshire  has  no  parallel,  neither 
is  it  possible  it  ever  can  have  one.  Jn  extent  (ninety  square 
miles)  it  is  equal  to  several  of  the  petty  German  Principal- 
ities; .and  every  man  in  it — aye,  even  the  Archbishop  him- 
self— is  a  sportsman.  There  is  not  a  '  boots '  at  an  inn  that 
has  not  his  guinea  on  the  Leger ;  and  the  manufacturer 
with  his  apron,  who,  in  other  places,  knows  no  more  of  a 
horse  than  a  horse  knows  of  him,  will  take  '  foive  to  one  ' 
he.  names  the  winner.  In  short,  the  horse  is  the  York- 
shireman's  idol;  and  had  Virgil  visited  its  plains  previous 
to  writing  his  first  Georgic,  he  would  have  assuredly  givcn 
it  the  preference  to  Epirus. 

During  my  visit  to  Raby,  Lord  Cleveland  told  me  T  mis- 
sed a  treat  by  not  being  present  at  an  interview  he  had  with 
one  of  his  Durham  earth-stoppers;  but  I  will  answer  for  it 
I  should  not  have  understood  five  words  he  uttered.  Lan- 
guage, however,  is  the  dress  of  thought;  and  there  is  some- 
thing very  amusing  in  the  native  laconism,  as  Mr.  Pope 
calls  it,  of  these  people,  when  neatly  and  aptly  applied. 
The  following  is  no  bad  specimen.  The  Marquis  was 
changing  horses  some  time  since  at  an  inn  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, when  he  expressed  a  wish  that  no  time  should  be 
lost,  as  he  was  in  a  hurry.  '  Drive  my  Lord  well,  lads,' 
said  the  Landlord  ;  'but  (by  a  side  wind)  mind  me — don't 
overegg  t  pudding?  Anglice,  '  Don't  kill  my  horses.' 

The  monosyllables  cars,  gi/lls,  and  stells  often  appear  in 
Lord  Cleveland's  book.  'What  is  a  stell?'  said  I  one  day 
to  a  Durham  sportsman.  A  stell  is  a  beck,'  he  replied. 
1  What  is  a  beck?'  added  I-  'A  beck  is  a  brook,1  was  the 
answer.  '  Oh,  now  I  have  it,'  resumed  I. 

The  character  of  men's  native  country  is  for  the  most 
part  as  strongly  impressed  upon  them,  as  its  accent  is  on 
their  tongue  :  and  such  is  the  case  here.  The  county  of 


YORKSHIRE.  1G(J 

York  is  a  proud  and  bold  feature  in  the  map  of  England, 
and  its  inhabitants  do  not  disgrace  it.  They  are  good  sol- 
diers, keen  sportsman,  and  a  fine  manly  race,  worthy  of 
British  soil. 

I  shall  now  take  leave  of  the  North,  by  presenting  my 
readers  with  a  celebrated  hunting  song,  made  some  years 
since  on  Lord  Cleveland's  Hunt,  when  his  Lordship  had 
the  Badsworth  country.  Several  of  the  characters  mention- 
ed no  longer  exist,  but  it  was  considered  a  well-drawn  pic- 
ture of  the  time. 

HO  WELL  WOOD: 

OR,  '  THE  HOUNDS  OP  OLD  RABY  FOR  ME  !' 

Whilst  passing  o'er  Barnsdale,  I  happen'd  to  spy 

A  fox  stealing  on,  and  the  hounds  in  full  cry ; 

They  are  Darlington's  sure,  for  his  voice  I  well  know, 

Crying '  Forward  !  hark  forward !'  from  Skelbrook  below. 
With  my  Bally  namonaora, 
The  hounds  of  Old  Raby  for  me. 

See  Binchester  leads  them,  whose  speed  seldom  fails, 
And  now  let  us  see  who  can  tread  on  their  tails ; 
For,  like  pigeons  in  flight,  the  best  hunter  would  blow, 
Should  his  master  attempt  to  ride  over  them  now. 
With  my,  &c. 

From  Howell  Wood  come,  they  to  Stapleton  go, 
What  confusion  I  see  in  the  valley  below  ; 
My  friends  in  black  collars  nearly  beat  out  of  sight, 
And  Badsworth's  old  heroes  in  sorrowful  plight. 
With  my,  &c. 

'Tis  hard  to  describe  all  the  frolic  and  fun, 
Which,  of  course,  must  ensue  in  this  capital  run ; 
But  I  quote  the  old  proverb,  howe'er  trite  and  lame, 
That  '  the  looker  on  sees  most  by  half  of  the  game.' 
With  my,  &c. 

Then,  first  in  the  burst,  see  dashing  away, 
Taking  all  on  his  stroke,  on  Ralpho  the  grey, 

VOL.    II.  15 


170  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

With  persuaders  in  flank,  comes  Darlington's  Peer, 
With  his  chin  sticking  out,  and  his  cap  on  one  ear. 
With  my,  &c. 

Never  heeding  a  tumble,  a  scratch,  or  a  fall, 
Lying  close  in  his  quarter,  see  Scott  of  Woodhall ! 
And  mind  how  he  cheers  them  with  '  Hark  to  the  cry !' 
Whilst  on  him  thePeer  keeps  ^pretty sharp  eye. 
With  my,  &c. 

And  next  him  on  Morgan,  all  rattle  and  talk, 
Cramming  over  the  fences  comes  wild  Martin  Hawke ; 
But  his  neck  he  must  break  surely  sooner  or  late, 
As  he'd  rather  ride  over  than  open  a  gate. 
With  my,  &c. 

Then  there's  dashing  Frank    Boynton,   who  rides  ,thorough- 
Their  carcases  nearly  as  small  as  their  heads ;  [breds, 

But  he  rides  so  d — d  hard  that  it  makes  my  heart  ache, 
From  fear  his  long  legs  should  be  left  on  a  stake. 
With  my,  &c. 

Behold  Harry  Mellish,  as  wild  as  the  wind, 
On  Lancaster  mounted,  leaving  numbers  behind ; 
But  lately  return'd  from  democrat  France, 
Where,  forgetting  to  bet,  he's  been  learning  to  dance. 
With  my,  &c. 

That  eagle-eyed  sportsman,  Charles  Branding,  behold, 
Lying  in  a  snug  place,  which  needs  scarcely  be  told ; 
But  from  riding  so  hard,  my  friend  Charley,  forbear, 
From  fear  you  should  tire  your  thirty  pound  mare  ! 
With  my,  &c. 

And  close  at  his  heels,  see  Bob  Lascelles  advance, 
Dress'd  as  gay  for  the  field  as  if  leading  the  dance, 
Resolved  to  ride  hard,  nor  be  counted  the  last, 
Pretty  sure  of  the  speed  of  his  fav'rite  Out-cast. 
With  my,  &c. 

Next  mounted  on  Pancake,  see  yonder  comes  Len, 
A  sportsman  I'm  sure  well  deserving  my  pen ; 


YORKSHIRE.  171 

His  looks  in  high  glee,  and  enjoying  the  fun, 
Tho'  truly  I  fear  that  his  cake's  aver  done. 
With  my,  &c. 

On  Methodist  perch'd  in  a  very  good  station, 
Frank  Barlow  behold,  that  firm  prop  of  the  nation : 
But  nothing  could  greater  offend  the  good  soul, 
Then  to  Coventry  sent  from  the  ckase  and  the  bowl. 
With  my,  &c. 

Then  those  two  little  fellows,  as  light  as  a  feather, 
Charles  Parker  and  Clowes,  come  racing  together  : 
And  riding  behind  them,  see  Oliver  Dick, 
With  Slap-dash  half  blown,  looking  sharp  for  a  nick. 
With  my,  &c. 

On  Ebony  mounted  behold  my  Lord  Barnard, 
To  live  near  the  pack  now  obliged  is  to  strain  hard ; 
But  mounting  friend  Barny  on  something  that's  quick, 
1  warrant,  my  lads,  he  would  shew  you  a  trick. 
With  my,  &c. 

Then  Bland  and  Tom  Gascoigce  I  spy  in  the  van, 
Fading  hard  as  two  devil's,  at  catch  as  catch  can, 
But  racing  along  to  try  which  can  get  first, 
Already  I  see  both  their  horses  are  burst. 
WitA  my,  &c. 

Then  smack  at  a  yswner  falls  my  friend  Billy  Clough  ; 
He  gets  up,  stares  iround  him,  faith !  silly  enough ; 
While  Pilkintopnear  him,  cries,  '  Pr'ythee  get  bled  !' 
'Oh  no,  never  ;nind,  Sir,  I  fell  on  my  head.' 
With  my,  &c. 

But  where's  that  hard  rider,  my  friend  Colonel  Bell  ? 
At  the  frst  setting  off  from  the  covert  he  fell. 
But  I  see  the  old  crop,  thus  the  whole  chase  will  carry, 
In  respectable  style,  the  good  temper'd  Harry. 
With  my,  &c. 

With  very  small  feet  sticking  fast  in  the  mud. 
Frank  Hawks  worth  I  see  on  his  neat  bit  of  blood 


172  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

But  pull  up,  my  friend,  say  you've  lost  a  fore  shoe, 
JZlsebkeding,  I  fear,  must  be  shortly  for  you. 
With  my,  &c. 

To  keep  their  nags  fresh  for  the  end  of  the  day, 
Sir  Edward  and  Lascelles  just  canter  away  ; 
Not  enjoying  the  pace  our  Raby  hounds  go, 
But  preferring  the  maxim  of  certain  and  slow. 
With  my,  &c. 

At  the  top  of  his  speed,  sadly  beat  and  forelorn, 
Behold  Captain  Horton  is  steering  for  Bain  ; 
For  accustom'd  at  sea  both  to  shift  and  to  tack, 
He  hopes  by  man<zuvring  to  gain  the  fleet  pack. 
With  my.  &c. 

The  two  Lees,  Harvey  Hawke,  Frank  Soth'ron,  and  all, 
Are  skirting  avray  for  Stapleton  Hall ; 
Whilst  far  in  the  rear  behold  OverleyCooke, 
Endeav'ring  to  scramble  o'er  Ample's  wide,  brook. 
With  my,  &c. 

Far  aloof  to  the  right,  and  op'ning  a  gate, 
There's  a  sportsman  by  sy»em  who  never  rides  straight ; 
But  why,  my  good  Godfrey,  <.hus  far  will  you  roam, 
When  a  pack  of  fine  beagles  hunt  close  to  your  home  ? 
With  my,  &t. 

Safe  o'er  the  brook— but  where's  Caj^ain  Bancer  ? 
Oh  !  he's  stopping  to  catch  Sir  Rowland  Winn's  prancer  ; 
But  what  istne  use  of  that,  my  friend  ^"inn  7 
If  on  foot  you  attempt  it,  you'll  sure  tumbh  in. 
With  my,  &c. 

On  his  chesnut  nag  mounted,  and  heaving  in  lank, 
At  a  very  great  distance  behold  Bacon  Frank, 
So  true's  the  old  maxim,  we  even  now  find, 
That  Justice  will  always  come  limping  behind. 
With  my,  &c. 

See  Starkey  and  Hopwood,  so  full  of  their  jokes, 
From  Braham  Moor  come,  to  be  quizzing  the  folkes ; 


YORKSHIRE.  1/3 

And  when  they  return  the  whole  chase  they'll  explain — 
Tho'they  saw  little  of  it — to  crony  Fox  Lane. 
With  my,  &c. 

Lost,  spavin'd,  and  gall'd,  but  shewing  some  blood — 
For  from  Coxcomb's  poor  shoulders  it  streams  in  a  flood — 
Behold  Mr.  Hodson,  how  he  fumes  and  he  frets, 
While  his  black  lies  entangled  in  cursed  sheep  nets. 
With  my,  &c. 

If  his  name  I  pass'd  over  I  fear  he  would  cavil — 
I  just  wish  to  say  that  I  saw  Mr  Saville : 
And  with  very  long  coat  on  (a  friend  to  his  tailor), 
With  some  more  Wakefield  heroes,  behold  Mr.  Nailor. 
With  my,  &c. 

A  large  posse  see  in  the  valley  below, 
Who  serve  very  well  just  to  make  up  a  show ; 
But  broad  as  the  brook  is,  it  made  many  stop, 
It's  not  ev'ry  man's  good  luck  to  get  to  the  top, 
With  my,  &c. 

Now  all  having  pass'd,  I'll  to  Ferrybridge  go, 
Each  event  of  the  day  at  the  Club  I  shall  know ; 
Where  bright  bumpers  of  claret  enliven  the  night, 
And  chase  far  away  hated  envy  and  spite. 
With  my,  &c. 

Then  forgive  me,  my  friends,  if  you  think  me  severe  ; 
'Tis  but  me4?it  as  a  joke,  not  intended  to  sneer; 
Come  I'll  give  you  a  toast,  in  a  bumper  of  wine, 
'Here's  success  to  this  Club,  and  to  sport  so  divine!' 

And  the  hounds  of  old  Rfhy  for  me. 

I  arrived  at  home  on  the  10th  of  Apvl,  and  left  it  again 
on  the  loth  for  the  New  Forest.  I  wis  to  have  taken  up 
my  old  quarters  under  the  roof  of  Sir  Hussey  Vivian ;  but 
he  was  deprived  of  the  pleasure  of  receiving  a  large  party 
of  his  friends  at  this  time,  by  being  obliged  to  attend  His 
Majesty  in  London.  I  had  received  many  kind  invitations 
from  Mr.  Nicoll  to  visit  him,  and  I  spent  one  of  the  pleas- 
antest  weeks  of  my  life  under  his  roof.  Here,  however,  I 

VOL.    II.  15* 


174  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

must  pause.  Numerous  would  have  been  the  jokes,  count- 
less the  anecdotes — for  John  Ward  was  with  us — that  I 
might  have  gleaned  in  those  'gay-spent  festive  nights;'  but 
all  must  now  be  silent.  The  hand  of  Death  has  snatched 
away  one  who  presided  at  the  feast,  and  the  house  of  feast- 
ing has  been  a  house  of  mourning.  In  a  few  months  af- 
terwards, the  wife  of  our  kind  host  and  the  mother  of  his 
nine  children  died  in  giving  brith  to  a  tenth,  and  Mr.  Nicoll 
lost  what  nothing  can  replace. 

Impatient,  however,  as  mankind  are  apt  to  be  under  cal- 
amities— which,  after  all,  are  but  the  condition  of  their  ex- 
istence— yet  contrasts  give  variety  to  life.  Did  we  never 
taste  what  is  bitter,  we  should  know  nothing  of 'the  sweets. 
Where,  than  can  there  be  a  greater  contrast  than  between 
the  large  rich  fields  of  Leicestershire,  and  the  sterile,  heath- 
clad  surface  of  a  Hampshire  forest?  Notwithstanding  this, 
there  is  something  in  a  forest  which  calls  to  mind  pastoral 
and  hunting  ages  long  since  gone  by,  but  of  course  conge- 
nial to  the  feelings  of  a  sportsman;  and  as,  according  (o 
the  doctrine  of  Aristotle,  the  love  of  the  beautiful  is  implan- 
ted in  us  by  Nature,  every  man — sportsman  or  no  sports- 
man— must  feel  instinctive  pleasure  in  such  a  scene  as  Mon- 
day the  16th  of  April  presented  to  us  at  the  meeting  of  Mr. 
Nicoll's  hounds.  The  morning  was  most  propitious  ;  Na- 
ture appeared  in  very  gay  attire ;  and,  exclusive  of  ladies, 
upwards  of  three  hundred  horsemen,  from  all  parts  of  Eng- 
land, formed  the  motley  group.  Amongst  these,  the  follow- 
ing conspicuous  characters  composed  MrflLNicoll's  party: 
the  great  John  Ward  ;  the  no  less  celebratea  John,  common- 
ly called  Jack  Wormold;  Mr.  Spurrier;  Mr.  Foljambe, 
master  of  the  Lincolnshire  fox-hounds;  Sir  Harry  Good- 
ricke,  and  Sir  B°llingham  Graham.  Mr.  John  Moore,  as 
usual,  was  also  in  the  neighborhood  (at  Mr.  Combton's) ; 
a  considerable  pany  of  sporting  men  at  the  Inn  at  Lynd- 
huist ;  and  Billy  Bpxler,  being  his  forty-second  appearance. 
The  Leicestershire  do-as  did  not  bring  their  own  horses, 
but  were  very  respectably  mounted  by  Mr.  Tilbury,  who 
sent  eight  hunters  to  Lyndhurst  for  their  use. 

To  give  an  account  of  sport  with  hounds  on  this  occasion 
will  not  do  now  ;  but  on  the  first  day  we  were  saved  from 
one  of  the  evils  attending  April  fox-hunting,  by  the  keen 


YORKSHIRE.  175 

eye  and  activity  of  Mr.  Foljambe,  who  jumped  off  his 
horse  just  in  time  to  save  a  vixen  fox  which  gave  suck  from 
falling  a  prey  to  the  pack.  After  the  hounds  were  taken 
a\vay  by  Mr.  Nicoll,  she  was  put  down,  and,  although  ap- 
parently injured  by  a  gripe  on  her  back,  she  trotted  away 
as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

April  fox-hunting  never  can  be  good  ;  but  this  was  a 
most  scentless  week,  even  in  the  New  Forest,  where  hounds 
generally  catch  a  scent  by  some  means.  To  cut  the  matter 
short,  we  had  but  one  pretty  run  out  of  four  days'  meeting  ; 
but  we  saw  a  deal  of  good  hunting — picking  it  out  by 
the  inch — and  we  witnessed  great  skill  in  our  huntsman. 
I  remember  saying  to  myself,  the  second  day  we  were  out 
with  a  very  perplexing  scent,  '  Well,  considering  our  hunts- 
man told  us  last  night,  that  to  make  a  huntsman  perfect,  his 
lips  should  be  seined  together,  I  never  saw  hounds  lifted  bet- 
ter than  these  have  been  this  day.1  To  say  he  lifted  them 
njj't'ic  ground,  would  be-too  figurative  an  expression  ;  but 
he  certainly  did  it  to  a  charm,  and  his  scream  was  thrilling 
and  good.  However,  we  might  as  well  say  Horace  was  a 
stupid  fellow,  and  Demosthenes  no  spokesman,  as  to  say 
Mr.  Nicoll  is  not  u  huntsman  ;  for  he  is  one:  but  what  can- 
not a  master-mind  like  his  accomplish — particularly  when 
directed  principally  to  one  point  ? 

I  have  said  that  Mr.  Ward  was  of  our  party.  I  have 
said  enough,  then,  to  shew  that  mirth  and  good  humor  were 
the  order  of  the  day.  His  presence,  indeed,  always  reminds 
me  of  Lucian's  description  of  the  Elysian  fields,  where  he 
makes  it  appear  there  are  two  springs — the  one  of  laugh- 
ter, and  the  other  of  joy  ;  and  it  is  almost  needless  to  add, 
that  those  who  drink  of  them  are  filled  with  mirth  and  hi- 
larity for  the  rest  of  the  day.  The  mora]  here  is  delightful 
to  contemplate  ;  for  it  is  as  much  as  to  say,  that,  unless  we 
bring  a  kind  heart  into  society,  we  have  no  business  there. 
Hera  Mr.  Ward  may  be  almost  termed  the  miracle  of  his 
day.  Courted  as  he  has  been  for  such  a  great  length  of 
years,  we  might  expect  to  find  him,  like  a  wayward  child, 
wishing  to  have  everything  his  own  way;  but  it  is  not  so. 
No;  his  social  capacities  seem  to  expand  as  his  age 
advances,  and,  like  Saul,  to  be  more  glorious  in  his  latter 
years. 


176  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

It  v/ould  be  tantalizing  to  mention  the  name  of  this  real 
old  English  Gentleman,  and  not  accompany  it  with  an  an- 
ecdote or  two  ;  so  I  hope  t  shall  be  pardoned  for  selecting 
the  following. 

It  is  well  known  that  this  far-famed  sportsman  has  ever 
been  fond  of  having  his  hounds  high  in  flesh,  in  their  work. 
I  partly  place  it  to  his  having  always  hunted  strong,  wet 
countries;  with  rough  woodlands ;  but  1  am  not  going  to 
argue  the  merits  of  the  case  here.  We  are  all  fond  of  our 
own  systems,  and,  like  Pygmalion  the  sculptor,  never  fail 
to  become  enamored  of  our  own  creations.  Mr.  Nicoll,  on 
the  other  hand,  feeds  lightly  in  the  spring  months,  and  we 
well  know  that  hounds  which  work  on  light  food  will  look 
light  in  warm  weather.  'There  is  one  advantage,'  said 
Mr.  Ward,  as  we  were  one  morning  passing  away  four 
hours  in  the  kennel,  'in  visiting  my  friend  Sam  Nicoll. 
No  man  need  trouble  himself  to  take  his  razors  with  him ; 
for  only  let  him  lather  his  face  well,  and  walk  down  to  the 
kennel,  he  might  take  any  one  of  these  hounds  by  the  head 
and  tail,  and  shave  himself  to  perfection  with  his  back  bone! 
These  hounds,'  added  he,  'look  as  if  they  had  just  landed 
from  Noah's  ark.' 

Anecdote  the  second  may  surprise,  and  for  this  reason  : 
— I  think  it  is  Fielding  who  has  told  us,  that  there  is  an 
air  of  gentility  about  a  real  gentleman  which  dress  can 
neither  give  nor  conceal.  Notwithstanding  this,  Mr. 
•Ward  told  us,  ^that  a  short  time  since  he  was  taken  for  a 
butcher  \  and  I  will  oive  it  in  his  own  words. 

'  I  was  driving  down  the  road  one  day,'  said  he,  in  his 
usual  facetious  style,  '  when  I  saw  a  man  I  knew  bargain- 
ing for  some  fat  bullocks.  '  Cannot  you  deal  ?'  said  I. 
'  Why,  no,  Sir,'  ^plied  the  buyer;  'the  gentleman  is  too 
hard  with  me.' — '  Then  let  me  try  and  put  you  together.' 
So,  getting  out  of  my  curricle,  and  handling  the  beasts,  I 
pronounced  them  to  be  worth  a  certain  sum.  The  buyer 
doubted  it.  '  Well,  then,'  I  said,'  here  is  a  butcher  corning, 
we  will  hear  what  he  has  to  say.'  The  butcher  looked 
at  the  bullocks,  and  then  at  me  and  after  taking  a  second 
look,  addressed  me  thus — '  Why,  you  are  in  business,  arn't 
you  T — '  Not  at  present,'  I  replied,  pulling  a  very  long 


YORKSHIRE.  177 

face;  '  /  have  been  unfortunate? — 'Worse  luck!' said  the 
butcher;   '  for  you  are  a  d — d  good  judge.' ' 

Now  I  can  only  account  for  this  in  two  ways  :  either  the 
butcher  was  a  better  judge  of  beef  than  of  a  gentleman, 
•which  is  by  no  means  improbable;  or,  Mr.  Ward  having 
his  box  coat  on,  the  knight  of  the  clever  did  not  see  those 
neat  boots  and  leathers  for  which  his  person  has  ever  been  so 
distinguished  ;  neither  do  I  think  it  possible  he  could  have 
looked  into  his  face.  Mr.  Ward,  however,  would  make  an 
excellent  master-butcher  in  one  respect ;  for,  having  been 
a  very  considerable  stall-feeder  of  cattle  for  a  great  number 
of  years,  and  paid  much  attention  to  the  system,  it  must 
be  a  good  judge  that  could  get  the  blind  side  of  him  in  a 
deal. 

I  must  now  bring  my  visit  to  the  North  to  a  close.  Let 
me  conclude  it,  then  with  the  following  remarks  : — 

In  the  first  place,  I  have  to  thank  all  the  Sporting  World, 
and  my  friends  in  particular,  for  the  kind  dispensation  granted 
me  in  the  free  use  of  their  names,  as,  without  this  indulgence, 
my  pen  would  have  been  cramped,  and  I  should  have  flut- 
tered like  a  bird  with  its  wings  clipped,  unable  to  soar  above 
the  ground.  I  hope  I  have  taken  no  unfair  advantage  of 
this  boasted  privilege.  I  am  not  aware  of  having  stained 
my  paper  with  falsehood,  neither  have  I  dipped  my  pen  in 
gall:  but  if  it  be  said  1  have  written  in  a  spirit  of  partiality; 
if  kind  feeling  and  friendship  have  had  too  great  a  share  in 
the  characters  I  have  drawn,  and  I  have  heightened  them  a 
little  beyond  the  truth,  I  am  sure  of  pardon  here.  An  abler 
pen  than  mine  would  have  executed  the  task  better  ;  but  in 
one  respect  lam  not  ill-qualified  for  a  traveller.  I  have 
neither  antipathies,  nor  prejudices  to  manners,  habits,  cli- 
mate, meat,  drink,  persons,  or  things,  having  long  learned  to 
take  the  world  as  it  comes,  making  the  best  of  everything. 
I  am  now  verging  on  those  years  in  which  I  am  entitled  to 
confirm  by  practice  what  was  taught  me  in  theory,  and  I 
have  found  most  of  those  lessons  good.  My  experience, 
however,  has  given  the  lie  to  one.  I  was  told, 

:  You'll  find  the  friendship  of  the  world  a  show  ! 
Mere  outward  show !    "Tis  like  the  harlot's  tears, 

The  statesman's  promise,  or  false  patriot's  zeal 

Full  of  fair  seeming,  but  delusion  all.' 


178  NIMROD'S  HUNTING  TOUR. 

I  cannot  say  I  have  found  it  so!  Rather  would  I  tell  the 
snarling  cynic  that  the  world  to  me  has  proved  a  friend, 
and  1  am  proud  to  say  '  /  owe  thee  much.'1  Were  I,  however, 
to  allude  fora  moment  to  the  commendations  bestowed  upon 
what  little  I  have  written,  I  should  account  for  them  all  in 
the  language  of  Swift.  '  It  is  the  wise  choice  of  the  sub- ' 
ject,'  says  he,  'that  adorns  and  distinguishes  the  writer;' 
and  mine,  we  know,  is  a  popular  one.  In  the  shape  of  a 
Tour,  however,  this  is  my  last  attempt ;  but  it  may  serve 
for  a  model  for  others  to  improve  upon  ;  and,  perhaps,  more 
good  than  harm  might  be  the  result.  Society  exists  amongst 
men  by  a  mutual  communication  of  their  thoughts ;  and, 
although  I  fear  I  have  added  little  to  the  stock,  their  recip- 
rocal commerce  is  the  chief  source  of  knowledge. 

To  conclude  : — I  shall  never  forget  the  pleasure  I  derived 
in  the  perusal  of  a  passage  from  the  pen  of  Gibbon,  where- 
in he  describes  the  hour  in  which  he  completed  that  great 
monument  of  his  fame — the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Ro- 
man Empire.  '  It  was,'  says  he,  '  on  the  day,  or  rather  the 
night,  of  the  27th  June  1787,  between  the  hours  of  eleven 
and  twelve,  that  I  wrote  the  last  lines  of  the  last  page  in  a 
summer-house  in  my  garden.  After  laying  down  my  pen, 
I  took  several  turns  in  a  covered  walk  of  acacias,  which 
commands  a  prospect  of  the  country,  the  lake,  and  the 
mountains.  The  air  was  temperate,  the  sky  was  serene, 
the  silver  orb  of  the  moon  was  reflected  on  the  waters,  and 
all  ISature  was  silent.  I  will  not  dissemble  the  first  emo- 
tions of  joy  on  the  recovery  of  my  freedom,  and,  perhaps, 
the  establishment  of  my  fame.  But  my  pride  was  soon  hum- 
bled ;  and  a  sober  melancholy  was  spread  over  my  mind 
by  the  idea,  that  I  had  taken  an  everlasting  leave  of  an 
old  and  agreeable  companion  :  and  that,  whatsoever  might 
be  the  future  fate  of  my  History,  the  life  of  the  Historian 
might  be  short  and  precarious  !' 

On  the  22d  of  April,  I  left  the  Forest,  and  in  the  even- 
ing of  that  day  arrived  at  home.  Although  my  pockets 
were  as  empty  as  when  they  came  from  the  tailor's,  my 
spirits  were  good.  I  dwelt  with  pleasure  on  the  scenes  I 
had  been  a  witness  of,  and  indulged  a  hope  that  I  might  see 
something  like  them  again.  But  this  was  not  all.  I  echoed 
the  words  of  an  elegant  writer,  who  "so  happily  expresses 


YORKSHIRE.  179 

himself  on  a  similar  occasion.  '  When  we  travel  towards 
home,'  says  he,  l  we  return,  as  it  were,  to  the  arms  of  a 
friend;  and  BLESS  THAT  GOODNESS  WHICH  HAS  so  OR- 
DAINED, THAT  HOME  WITH  NO  CHARMS  CHARMS  US  BE- 
CAUSE IT  is  OUR  HOME!!' 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 


Venatu  invigilant  pueri,  silvasqne  fatigant ; 
Flectere  ludus  equos  et  spicula  tendere  cornu. 
At,  patiensoperum  parvoque  assueta,  juventus 
Aut  rastris  terram  domat,  aut  quatit  oppida  bello. 

VIRGIL. 

Our  boys  the  forest  range,  and  lead  the  course, 
Bend  the  tough  bow,  and  break  the  prancing  horse. 
Long  thirst,  long  hunger,  our  bold  youths  can  bear, 
Plough,  fight,  or  shake  embattled  towns  with  war. 

PITT'S  Translation. 

VOL.    II.  16 


RIDING    TO   HOUNDS. 


THE  magistrates  of  the  Greek  Republic  encouraged  mu- 
sic and  the  fine  arts  as  a  check  against  the  ferocity  of  man- 
ners which  their  gymnastic  and  military  exercises  might 
have  inspired ;  but,  at  the  present  day,  we  have  more  need 
of  alarm  lest  the  manly  diversions  should  decline,  and  there 
should  be  'nothing  left  to  counteract  the  feminine  and  ener- 
vating effects  of  luxurious  and  fashionable  manners.'  We 
have  not  the  Campus  Martius — we  know  nothing  of  the 
Romana  Militia ;  and.it  is  to  the  sports  of  the  field  alone — 
sports  so  congenial  to  our  nature- — that  we  are  to  look  for  a 
counterbalance  to  the  evil  alluded  to,  and  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  that  manly  character  which  has  ever  been  the  distin- 
guishing feature  of  an  English  gentleman.  It  has  even  been 
asserted,  thatto  sportsmen  are  weindebted  for  preservingthe 
human  race  from  degenerating:  of  this,  however,  we  are 
certain,  that  the  sports  of  the  field  promote  real  courage  ; 
for  what  chance,  says  a  popular  writer,  would  a  regiment 
composed  of  men  who  could  only  dance,  sing,  and  act  plays, 
have  against  one  composed  of  men  who  could  ride,  box,  and 
shoot ! 

Riding  is  an  accomplishment  which  has  been  held  in  the 
highest  estimation  from  the  very  earliest  ages,  and  was  re- 
warded at  the  Olympic  Games.  It  once  formed  part  of  the 
education  of  youth  ;  and  we  find  Cicero,  with  the  vanity 
generally  attending  his  writings,  telling  his  son  Marcus,  that 
as,  on  account  of  his  father's  fame,  the  eyes  of  all  the  world  would 
be  upon  him,  he  congratulated  him  on  having  received  the 
praise  of  Pompey  for  his  riding.  Lord  Chesterfield  recom- 
mended this  accomplishment  to  his  son  ;  as  did  Lord  Chat- 
ham to  his  nephew;  and  even  a  Rajah  of  Seringapatam 


184  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

does  not  think  it  beneath  his  Imperial  dignity.  Hannibal, 
we  are  told,  was  the  best  horseman  of  his  day.  In  his  dress 
he  differed  in  nothing  from  the  ordinary  men  of  his  time  ; 
but  in  everything  that  related  to  his  horses  and  their  accout- 
rements, he  was  superbly  magnificent  and  fastidiously  cor- 
rect. In  battle,  he  was  the  first  to  engage,  and  the  last  to 
retreat. 

From  the  days  of  the  young  Ascanius  to  the  present  hour, 
riding  to  hounds  has  formed  one  of  the  chief  amusements 
of  men  of  all  ages,  and  in  all  situations  in  life ;  and  it  ap- 
pears by  Tibullus,  that  there  was  a  '  a  painful  pre-eminence' 
in  the  field  in  his  time.  That  riding  over  a  country  was  in 
fashion  in  the  Augustan  age,  we  learn  from  Virgil's*  direc- 
tions for  breeding,  where  he  tells  us  we  should  not  leap  a 
mare  when  she  is  in  foal.  Ossian  compliments  the  son  of 
Torran  with  beingfirst  in  the  chase;  and  Addison  observes, 
that  '  some  find  their  account  in  heading  a  cry  of  hounds,  as 
much  as  others  would  in  the  dignity  of  Lord  chancellor.' 
What  figure  these  ancient  Nimrods  would  have  cut  by  the 
side  of  a  good  Meltonian  of  the  present  day,  it  is  not  in  my 
power  to  conjecture.  The  best  Kings  and  Emperors  how- 
ever, encouraged  all  such  manly  exercises;  and  Horace 
wrote  his  Carmen  Seculare  in  their  praise.  The  pursuits 
of  the  field  in  particular,  being  more  or  less  attended  with 
risk,  have  a  tendency  to  increase  natural  courage  ;  and,  by 
rendering  men  familiar  with  danger,  make  them  less  liable 
to  lose  their  presence  of  mind  when  in  it,  and  less  anxious 
to  get  out  of  it.  As  the  foil  is  the  semblance  of  the  naked 
sword,  the  chase  is  the  image  of  war;  and  after  all,  'it  is 
the  contempt  of  danger  which  ennobles  the  life  of  a  sol- 
dier.' 

Riding  to  hounds  on  paper,  or  over  a  bottle  of  wine  by  a 
good  fire-side,  is  one  thing  ;  and  -riding  alongside  them  for 
an  hour  when  going  their  best  pace  over  a  strongly-enclos- 
ed and  deep  country  is  another.  Than  the  one  nothing  is 
more  easy — gates,  styles,  brooks,  and  fences,  are  all  taken 
in  stroke,  and  nothing  is  too  high  or  too  wide.  Than  the  other 
nothing  is  more  difficult — body  and  mind  are  both  at  work, 
and  every  now  and  then  the  '  courage  must  be  screwed  up 

*  Non  saltu  superare  viam  sit  passus. 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  185 

to  the  sticking  place.'  Like  most  other  things,  however, 
there  are  two  ways  of  doing  it — one  in  comparative  safety 
and  supreme  enjoyment ;  the  other,  like  Damocles,  at  the 
feast,  in  the  midst  of  pleasure,  but  in  constant  apprehension, 
of  destruction.  All  this  depends  oq,  the  goodness  of  the 
horse  we  ridB,  and  our  skill  in  riding  him.  '  Hand  without 
head  '  will  not  do,  neither  will  head  without  hand.  Judgment, 
here,  must  be  combined  with  execution. 

Independent  of  the  pleasure  arising  from  the  chase,  1 
have  always  considered  a  covert's  side  with  hounds  that  are 
well  attended  to  be  one  of  the  most  lively  scenes  in  nature. 
The  pride  of  the  morning,  the  meeting  of  friends,  and  the 
anticipation  of  diversion,  contribute  to  raise  the  spirits  and 
expand  the  soul.  In  my  experience  in  life,  I  have  found, 
or  heard  of,  but  few  friendships  formed  on  the  associations 
of  very  early  years ;  and  for  one  lasting  friendship  founded  at 
a  school  or  college,  I  have  known  a  dozen  proceeding  from 
fox-hunting ;  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  adding,  that  the 

._/  i  o ' 

best  introduction  for  a  young  man  of  fortune  and  fashion  of 
the  present  day  is  to  be  found  at  Billesdon  Coplow  or  Oad- 
by  toll-bar. 

•  Leicestershire  is  the  place  of  all  others,  where  riding  to 
hounds  is  put  to  the  test.  The  excuses  of '  I  was  the  wrong 
side  of  the  covert — I  did  not  get  a  start,  or,  the  hounds  slip- 
ped away  from  me,'  will  very  seldom  serve  here,  as  every 
man  can  get  a  fair  start  if  he  is  aicakc,  and  every  man  has 
an  opportunity,  of  distinguishing  himself. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  and  a  striking  proof  of  the  diffi- 
culty attending  it,  that,  barring  Leicestershire,  there  are 
not  in  other  countries  more  than  half  a  score  of  men  calling 
themselves  sportsmen  and  well  mounted  who  can  ride  to 
hounds — that  is  to  say,  who  can  live  with  them  for  an  hour 
over  a  strong  country  and  at  their  best  pace.  There  are, 
however,  I  will  venture  to  assert,  in  each  of  these  countries 
twice  that  number  of  men  whose  nerve  is  equal  to  any  fence 
that  the  others  will  ride  at ;  yet,  from  certain  causes,  they 
cannot  get  near  hounds.  Now  how  are  we  to  reconcile  this? 
Here  are  two  men,  with  nerve  equally  good  and  equally 
well  mounted,  get  a  fair  start  with  hounds ;  one  of  them 
shall  never  be  a  field  from  them,  and  the  other  shall  be  dead 
beat,  or  perhaps  lost,  before  he  gets  half  through  the  run  if 

VOL.    II.  16* 


186 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 


it  is  good  one.  Nay,  I  will  go  one  step  farther — the  one 
man  shall  ride  three  or  four  stone  heavier  than  the  other  ! 
This  appears  paradoxical,  but  every  day's  experience  proves 
it.  Let  us  endeavor  to  account  for  it. 

If  hounds  always  ran  straight  over  a  country,  the  diffi- 
culty of  riding  to  them  would  be  materially  lessened.  A 
good  horse,  with  a  good  hand  upon  him  and  boldly  ridden, 
would  nineteen  times  out  of  twenty  carry  a  man  up  to  them, 
provided  no  insurmountable  difficulties  such  as  rivers  inter- 
vened :  the  hand,  without  much  assistance  from  the  head : 
would  then  do  the  business;  but  the  difficulty  consists  in 
turning  to  hounds,  and  riding  inside  and  not  outside  of  them, 
and  thereby  cutting  off  the  angles.  Whoever  considers  the 
proportion  of  the  diameter  to  the  circumference  of  a  circle 
will  be  convinced  of  the  great  advantage  of  riding 
inside  of  hounds  in  their  turns,  and  avoiding  angles.  Hack- 
ney-coachmen in  London  are  well  aware  of  this.  For  ex- 
ample, let  a  man  get  into  one  of  their  coaches,  and  give 
Jarvey  his  direction  :  if  his  place  of  destination  lies  to  his 
right  hand,  he  will  observe  how  immediately  he  makes  his 
turn  down  the  first  street  that  leads  in  that  direction,  and 
vice  versa. — Let  us  suppose  two  hackney-coachmen  started 
at  the  top  of  the  Haymarket,  and  were  ordered  to  Temple- 
bar  :  let  one  take  the  first  turn  to  the  left,  which  is  Panton- 
street — cross  Leicester-square,  along  Chandos-street,  and 
get  into  the  Strand  down  Southampton-street — how  much 
sooner  would  he  be  at  Temple-bar  than  the  other,  should  he 
make  the  angle  of  Charing  Cross!  This  exactly  applies 
to  riding  to  hounds.  How  often  have  I  seen  one  set  of  men 
riding  as  hard  as  their  horses  could  carry  them,  and  stop- 
ping at  nothing,  but  still  losing  ground,  and  being  beaten  ; 
when  at  the  same  time,  others,  better  judges,  were  going  by 
the  side  of  hounds  quite  at  their  ease,  and  merely  because 
they  have  turned  with  them,  and  not  after  them,  by  which 
the  angles  have  been  avoided. 

There  is  another  point  in  riding  to  hounds  not  sufficient- 
ly considered.  Every  sportsman  will  know  what  I  mean 
by  the  difference  between  a  quick  horse  and  a  fast  one.  Very 
few  countries  require  fast  horses,  but  all  require  quick  ones; 
and  a  quick  man  upon  a  quick  horse  would  beat  a  slow 
man  upon  Eclipse.  The  speed  and  stride  of  Hambletonian 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  187 

would  be  useless  in  any  country,  however  valuable  at  New- 
market; but  it  is  a  quick  man  upon  a  quick  horse  that  in 
nineteen  countries  out  of  twenty  gets  best  to  hounds.  By 
a  quick  man,  I  mean  one  who  has  a  good  eye  to  the  direc- 
tion his  hounds  are  going  in — who  turns  as  his  hounds  turn 
has  a  good  eye  to  practicable  places  in  his  fences,  and,  when 
he  comes  to  them,  is  decisive  in  his  determination  to  go  at 
them.  In  many  other  things  besides  riding  over  a  country, 
he  who  stops  to  consider  is  lost ;  but  in  this  decision  is  eve- 
rything. The  l  nonprogredi,  est  regredi,'  may  be  particu- 
larly applied  to  riding  to  hounds.  When  we  stop,  they  are 
going;  and  catching  hounds  with  a  holding  scent  is  what 
few  men  and  horses  are  equal  to.  The  celebrated  Dick 
Knight's  speech  to  Lord  Spencer,  when  he  hunted  his 
hounds,  proved  he  was  of  this  opinion.  He  had  just  ridden 
over. a  rasper,  which  his  Lord  stopped  to  look  at. — '  Come 
along  my  Lord,'  said  Dick;  'the  more  you  look,  the  less 
you'll  like  it.' 

By  a  quick  horse,  I  mean  one  that  is  quick  on  getting  on 
his  speed  again  after  having  been  stopped  at  his  fences,  and 
is  handy  in  being  pulled  up  or  turned.  This  is  the  horse 
that  will  distinguish  himself  in  enclosed  countries,  where 
hounds  seldom  run  or  men  seldom  ride  straight.  It  was 
this  wonderful  quickness  at  his  fences,  independent  of  his 
speed,  that  gave  that  famous  horse  'the  Clipper'  such  an. 
advantage  over  a  country  when  hounds  ran  hard.  Whether 
the  ditch  was  towards  him,  or  from  him,  he  would  not  suf- 
fer himself  to  be  collected,  or  pulled  together,  therefore  lost 
no  time  in  his  fences.  He  was  on  his  speed  again,  as  it 
were,  before  other  horses  had  scarcely  alighted  on  trie 
ground.  Thus  taking  all  sorts  offences  in  this  rapid  way, 
without  suffering  himself  to  be  collected,  might  do  very  well 
with  Mr.  Lindo  on  his  back,  but  it  is  not  every  man:s  nerve 
or  finger  that  it  would  suit.  It  enabled  him,  however,  to 
go  a  mile  and  a  half  over  a  country  on  the  Clipper,  whilst 
many  others  were  going  a  mile. 

In  my  experience  of  men  riding  to  hounds,  I  have  made 
the  following  remark — that  it  is  not  because  a  man  is  a  good 
horseman,  that  he  puts  his  horse  well  at  his  fences,  and  is 
not  afraid  of  them  that  he  .can  live  with  hounds.  On  the 
contrary,  I  have  seen  numbers  answering  this  description 


188  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

that  never  could  see  a  run  when  the  pace  was  quick.  The 
reason  of  this  was — they  were  not  quick.  They  lost  time  at 
their  fences,  and  they  would  not  gallop.  T  am  willing  to 
admit  that  the  act  of  extending  a  horse  over  rough  ground, 
and  among  grips — particularly  if  that  horse  has  a  long 
stride  and  does  not  pull  together — is  a  greater  trial  to  nerves 
than  the  generality  of  fences,  and  is  attended  with  more 
danger.  The  worst  falls  are  those  which  happen  in  the 
open  field  when  horses  are  going  at  nearly  the  top  of  their 
speed;  and  it  requires  a  finer  finger  to  put  a  horse  alo«g 
his  best  pace,  over  rough  ground,  than  to  ride  him  if  he 
knows  his  business,  over  the  stifFest  and  most  difficult  fences. 
In  the  one  case  he  sees  his  own  danger;  in  the  other  his 
rider  must  see  for  him,  and,  by  the  finger,  caution  him 
against  it.  It  is  in  this  way  alone  that  I  can  account  for  so 
many  persons  that  I  have  known  and  met  with,  who,  with 
all  the  necessary  qualifications  for  riding  to  hounds,  as  far 
as  fencing  and  horsemanship  are  concerned,  yet  never  see 
a  run  at  the  best  pace,  because  they  will  not  gallop. 

There  is  another  description  of  persons,  who  are  gener- 
ally defeated  when  business  is  to  be  done,  and  those  are  your 
very  light  weights.  In  my  experience  of  fox-hunting,  I 
have  observed  that  men  above  eleven  stone  for  the  most  part 
beat  men  under  eleven  stone — and  for  this  reason  :  the  very 
light  man  says,  'anything  will  cairy  me;'  and  if  he  hears 
of  a  slight  bit  of  blood,  which  no  man  of  any  size  will  buy 
because  he  cannot  carry  weight,  he  goes  and  purchases  him 
calling  him  '  a  nice  little  horse  to  carry  his  weight.'  The 
consequence  of  this' is,  as  force  must  be  opposed  to  force, 
this  nice  little  horse  and  his  rider  are  knocked  backwards 
and  thrown  over  by  fences,  which  a  heavier  man  on  a  heavier 
horse  would  break  through  if  he  could  not  clear.  I  am 
no  advocate  for  large  horses,  but  they  must  have  substance 
and  weight,  or  they  cannot  get  through  a  strong  country. 

Putting  fences  out  of  the  question,  we  may  view  this  mat- 
ter in  another  light.  We  know  that  weight  equalizes  aH 
horses  of  all  ages  and  all  sizes.  If,  therefore,  a  man  weigh- 
ing only  ten  stone  gets  horses  only  fit  to  carry  ten  stone,  he 
can  go  no  faster  in  a  deep  country  than  the  man  who  weighs 
fifteen  stones  provided  he  be  mounted  on  horses  equal  to  carry 
fifteen  atone.  This  only  applies  to  galloping  ;  but  if  they  come 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  189 

to  fencing,  the  heavy  man  has  it  hollow.  The  heavy  man 
says,  '  I  must  get  horses  to  carry  me  :'  the  very  light  man 
says,  'those  which  can  carry  no  one  else  will  do  for  me  ;' 
and  thus  he  is  too  often  defeated-  To  this  must  be  added, 
in  favor  of  the  heavy  man,  that  strength  in  the  rider  as  well 
as  in  the  horse,  is  necessary  in  getting  a  horse  across  a  stiff 
and  deep  country  where  the  fences  are  large  and  frequent. 
'  The  gentleman  rode  very  well,'  said  Buckle  the  jockey,  of 
a  gentleman  rider  opposed  to  him  in  a  race,  '  but  he  tired 
before  his  horse  ;'  and  this  applies  to  the  very  light  man  over 
a  country. 

Riding  to  hounds,  like  most  other  things,  has  undergone 
a  revolution  in  the  march  of  time.  Some  years  back,  the 
best  man  was  he,  who  after  never  being  near  the  hounds  for 
nineteen  miles  [supposing  them  to  run  so  far],  came  up  to 
them  at  the  twentieth,  and  got  the  brush,  which  he  carried 
home  in  triumph  under  the  front  of  his  bridle.  The  best 
man  now  is  he  who  goes  best  through  the  best  part  of  the 
run,  even  should  he  be  '  dead  beat '  at  the  last.  As  to  riding 
or  asking  fo.r  the  brush,  a  man  would  as  soon  ask  for  the 
scalp  of  the  huntsman's  head  in  the  regular  hunting  coun- 
tries as  for  the  brush  of  a  fox.  I  once  did  see,  and  in  one 
of  the  crack  counties,  a  man  ride  over  a  fence  into  the  mid- 
dle of  hounds  as  they  were  in  the  act  of  worrying  their  fox; 
and  on  the  owner  of  them  asking  him  why  he  did  so,  he  re- 
plied that  he  wanted  the  brush.  '  You  shall  have  the  brush, 
Sir,'  said  the  master  of  the  pack,  '  and  let  it  serve  you  for 
the  rest  of  your  life.  Take  off  that  red  coat  when  you  get 
home,  and  never  come  a  hunting  again.' 

There  are  many  men,  particularly  those  whose  hunting 
has  been  confined  to  ploughed  and  light  scenting  countries, 
who  can  form  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  speed  of  hounds  in 
those  countries  which  are  capable  of  holding  what  is  called 
a  burning,  or,  more  properly  a  lasting  scent,  such  as  will 
enable  hounds  to  run  straight.  The  circumstance,  however, 
which  I  am  about  to  mention,  at  the  same  time  that  it  will 
show  the  pace  which  hounds  under  certain  circumstances 
are  able  to  maintain,  will  warrant  the  assertions  I  have 
made  as  to  the  difficulty  of  seeing  a  run  when  the  pace  is 
very  quick,  as  also  the  necessity  of  horses  being  in  the  very 
best  tune  to  attempt  it.  The  instance  I  now  allude  to  was 


190  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

with  the  Duke  of  Rutland's  hounds  when  Shaw  hunted 
them.  There  was,  as  usual,  a  large  field  on  the  day  I  speak 
of;  but  what  is  very  unsual  in  Leicestershire,  the  covert  in 
which  we  found  our  fox  was  surrounded  by  a  wall.  This 
wall,  in  the  direction  the  fox  went  oft,  was  not  to  be  jumped; 
but  there  was  a  bridle-gate,  which  the  first  man  who  was 
lucky  enough  to  get  through  was  Mr.  John  Storey  [better 
known  in  the  Sporting  World  by  the  name  of  Jack  Storeyl, 
on  the  old  race-horse  Cockspinner.  Strange  as  it  may  ap- 
pear, Mr.  John  Storey  upon  Cockspinner  was  the  only  man 
who  saw  that  run,  although  it  lasted  but  twenty-two  minutes, 
and  there  was  not  a  fence  to  stop  any  horse  deserving  the 
name  of  hunter.  Seeing  Mr.  Lindo  on  Petruchio,  and  Mr. 
Davy — no  better  pilots — making  for  a  place  in  the  side  wall, 
which  was  practicable,  I  followed  them  ;  but  in  consequence 
of  a  rail  being  on  the  other  side  of  it,  which-  obliged  us  to 
take  it  at  twice,  and  meeting  immediately  with  another 
double  fence,  added  to  the  acute  angle  we  made  by  going 
over  the  side  Avail,  we  never  could  get  near  the  hounds. 
The  horse  I  rode  had  just  been  winning  Hunters'  Stakes, 
and,  as  before  observed,  there  were  no  impracticable  fences 
in  the  way  ;  but  I  never  caught  a  sight  of  the  pack  over 
that  fine  country,  until  just  as  they  were  running  into  their 
fox,  when  I  saw  them  on  some  rising  ground  better  than  a 
mile  a-head.  When  Shaw  came  up,  he  pulled  out  his  watch, 
and  exclaimed,  '  Beat  two  miles  in  twenty-two  minutes,  by 
G— d  !  ' 

This  is  one  among  some  hundred  instances  of  horses  not 
being  able  to  live  with  hounds  unless  they  not  only  start 
with  them  ;  but  as  the  speed  of  hounds  has  been  ascertain- 
ed to  be  superior  to  that  of  horses,  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  enable  them  to  live  with  them  at  their  deepest  rate,  that 
they  should  not  only  not  go  over  as  much  ground  as  they 
do,  but  by  turning  inside,  and  not  outside  them,  they  should 
consequently,  go  over  less. 

In  some  countries,  getting  well  away  with  hounds  is  diffi- 
cult and  uncertain.  Where  coverts  are  large,  on  windy 
days  it  is  almost  even  betting  whether  a  man  gets  a  good 
start  or  not.  It  is  true,  though  singular,  that  in  woodlands 
foxes  will  often  run  the  same  line*  of  country  for  genera- 

*  I  have  seen  many  instances  of  this  at  a  covert  called  Alveston  Pas- 


™ 

RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  191 

lions  in  succession;  but  this  is  not  to  be  depended  upon,  nei- 
ther is  there  much  reliance  to  be  placed  upon  the  wind.  I 
remember  telling  an  old  and  very  good  sportsman  one  day 
in  Leicestershire,  that  the  wind  would  most  probably  take 
us  to  his  country;  when  he  observed,  that  by  the  time  I  had 
been  a  foxhunter  as  long  as  he  had,  I  should  learn  to  trust 
but  little  to  the  wind.  '  A  fox,'  said  he,  '  will  make  his 
point  in  spite  of  the  wind:  and  it  is  only  when  he  finds 
himself  pressed  that  he  will  cease  to  face  it.'  This  I  believe 
to  be  the  case ;  but  one  observation  1  have  made  is,  that 
when  a  fox  starts  up  wind,  and  then  turns,  he  seldom  faces 
it  again.  All  they,  however,  wko  consult  the  wind,  and 
ride  to  it,  instead  of  to  the  hounds,  will  too  often  find  them- 
selves in  a  wrong  latitude. 

It  is  one  of  the  drawbacks  upon  the  pleasure  of  fox-hunt- 
ing, that  a  man  sometimes  rides  twenty  miles  to  meet  hounds, 
and  then  loses  a  fine  run  by  not  getting  away  with  them. 
The  rose,  however,  is  never  without  the  thorn  ;  and  this 
must  sometimes  happen  in  large  woodlands,  which  most 
commonly  produce  the  best  foxes.  As  foxes  generally 
hang  a  little  in  large  coverts,  the  best  sportsman  is  often 
puzzled  how  to  act.  If  running  down  wind,  it  is  difficult 
for  him  to  hear  them.  If  he  follows  them  up  and  down  a 
deep  covert  often,  his  horse  is  half  beaten  before  the  run 
begins-  It  is  necessary  to  be  wide  awake  upon  these  occa- 
sions; and  I  have  always  thought  it  to  be  the  safer  plan, 

tures,  near  Stratford-on-Avon  in  Warwickshire,- a  place  which  ha's 
afforded  several  brilliant  runs.  Unless  foxes  break  for  Mr.  West' 
coverts,  they  almost  invariably  come  away  to  Sir  Charles  Mordant's 
woods,  beyond  which  is  as  fine  a  country  as  any  in  England.  To 
avoid  sinking  the  hill,  and  a  very  bad  brook,  all  those  who  know  the 
circumstance  are  in  the  habit  of  going  along  a  road  for  about  a  mile, 
whence  they  can  command  the  hounds  by  the  the  time  they  can  settle 
to  their  fox.  On  a  particular  day,  however,  when  Lord  Middleton 
hunted  Warwickshire,  I  remember  Colonel  Berkeley  and  his  two 
brothers  were  out,  when,  not  knowing  of  this  nick,they  followed  the 
hounds  down  the  meadows,  when,  contrary  to  the  usual  practice,  the 
fox  did  not  cross  the  brook,  but  turned  short  to  the  left,  down  a  fine 
vale,  for  Wellesburn,  and  the  three  brothers  alone  saw  the  run.  This 
was  almost  a  solitary  instance  of  a  fox  taking  that  direction. 


192  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

when  a  man  comes  out  determined  to  have  a  day's  sport  to, 
keep  as  near  to  hounds  in  covert  as  it  is  possible — even  if 
he  does  take  something  out  of  his  horse  in  doing  so.  By 
getting  well  away  with  them,  he  has  riot  got  to  catch  them, 
which  may  be  still  more  against  him  than  even  going  two 
or  three  times  up  and  down  a  deep  ride  in  a  covert.  At  all 
events,  a  sportsman's  object  is  to  be  with  hounds  ;  and  it  is 
better  to  be  with  them  on  a  horse  half  beaten,  than  to  be  ri- 
ding about  the  country  asking  the  old  question,  '  Did  you 
see  the  hounds  ?'  on  a  fresh  one. 

The  following  anecdote  is  in  point.  A  gentleman  of 
large  fortune,  well  known  in  Staffordshire,  was  out  with 
the  late  Mr.  Meynell  when  he  hunted  Leicestershire,  and  in 
those  days  was  going  'with  high  and  vent'rous  sail.'  Com- 
ing to  a  river  which  had  much  overflowed  its  banks,  he  pulled 
off  his  coat  and  waistcoat,  and  swam  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance. The  first  man  who  got  around  by  a  bridge  was 
JL<ord  Forester,  who,  getting  on  the  line  with  them,  asked  a 
countryman  whether  he  saw  the  hounds.  '  Oh  yes,'  said 
thefellovv,  'I  seed  'em — but  you  will  never  see  'em  no 
more  ;  they  have  been  gone  this  quarter  of  an  hour.' — 
'  Who  was  with  them,'  said  his  Lordship.  '  No  one  but  the 
yriller?  was  the  reply,  'and  he  was  riding  most  nation  hard 

to  be  sure,'     This  wag  Mr.  G in  his  shirt. 

Had  hunting  and  the  present  spirited  manner  of  riding 
to  hounds  been  practised  as  we  practisethem  in  ealier  times, 
I  cannot  help  thinking  that  they  would  have  formed  a  fine 
subject  for  a  pastoral  or  an  epic  poem,  in  the  hands  of  The- 
ocritus or  Virgil,  when  dressed  in  the  lustre  of  their  lan- 
guage, and  adorned  with  their  '  living  words.'  Such  a 
poem  would  have  been  read  with  unmingled  feelings  of  de- 
light. The  twang  of  the  hum,  the  echo  of  the  woods,  the 
-cry  of  the  hounds,  the  cheers  of  the  huntsmen,  and  the  ar- 
do'r  of  the  riders,  would  not  have  been  interrupted  by  the 
recollections  of  countries  wasted  by  want,  or  cities  depopu- 
lated by  the  sword.  What  a  contrast  would  the  cheerful 
and  happy  scenes  of  the  sportsman  present  to  the  blood- 
stained career  of  the  hero  I  As  Bellona  is  represented  by 
the  poets  in  language  too  horrible  to  read,  Diana,  though 
bent  on  the  pleasures  of  the  chase,  is  painted  with  all  the 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  193 


I 


attractions  of  her  sex,  and  in  the  elegant  simplicity  of  nature. 
The  epithets  applied  to  this  sporting  goddess  are  said  to  be 
the  happiest  in  the  Latin  language. 

Although  \ve  have  but  an  imperfect  idea  of  the  manner 
in  \vhich  the  ancients  hunted  their  hounds,  and  got  across 
a  country  after  them,  yet  we  are  satisfied  that  they  did  both. 
We  are  also  satisfied  that,  amongst  those  who  wrote  upon 
domestic  economy,  there  were  many  good  judges  of  hounds 
and  horses,  particularly  of  the  latter.  Instead  of  taking  up 
a  Scotch  novel,  which  I  could  not  read,  or  a  fashionable 
canto  which  I  could  not  understand,  it  has  been  my  prac- 
tice, when  wiling  away  a  tedious  hour,  to  look  in  the  books 
which  I  read  in  my  youth.  [  have  been  forcibly  struck 
with  some  passages  that  I  have  met  with  in  them  relating 
to  the  horse,  which  so  exactly  accord  with  my  own  ideas  of 
what  a  hunter  should  be,  that  I  shall  take  leave  to  mention 
them. 

Pliny  has  the  following  remarkable  sentence: — '  Equi 
sine  frasnis,  deformis  ispe  cursus,  rigida  cervice,  et  extento 
capite,  currentium,'  which  we  may  safely  translate  thus : 
horses  that  go  with  a  stiff  neck,  and  their  noses  poked  out 
and  not  pulling  together  in  their  stride,  are  unfit  to  carry  a 
gentleman.  How  to  choose  a  colt  for  a  hunter,  we  cannot 
improve  upon  Virgil's  advice.  Let  him  be  well  bred,  says 
he,  and  tread  well  on  his  pasterns.  Of  his  courage — so  es- 
sential to  a  first-rate  hunter — he  says,  he  should  be  the  first 
to  lead  the  way,  to  dash  through  the  stream,  and  to  trust 
himself  on  the  unknown  bridge.  The  '  primus  etire  viarn,' 
is  all  that  we  could  wish  or  ask  for.  Varro  says  we  should 
choose  onethat  is  the  first  to  plunge  into  a  stream  without  wait- 
ing for  his  companions  ;  and  Columella,  one  which  is  af- 
raid of  nothing;  who  goes  faster  than  the  rest,  and  particu- 
larly, 'si  fossam  sine  cunctatione  transilit.'  How  exactly  a 
brook  jumper  ! 

The  form  of  a  horse  seems  to  have  been  well  understood 
by  these  ancient  writers.  Virgil  and  Horace  speak  of  the 
'  ardua  cervix,'  by  which,  no  doubt,  they  meant  to  imply 
carrying  the  head  in  a  good  place.  They  also  speak  of  the 
neat  head,  and  Varro  recommends caput  '  non  magnum,'  but 
not  a  small  head,  which  is  certainly  a  defect. 

The  necessary  points  to  carry  weight  were  not  overlook- 

VOL.    11.  17 


194  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

ed.  The  broad  back  and  the  double  chine  are  mentioned 
by  several  of  them,  as  well  as  the  wide  chest ;  but  Virgil's 
'  luxuriatque  toris,  animosum  pectus,'  is  exactly  expressive 
of  the  power  and  spirit  of  a  fine  hunter.  The  '  tori '  I  take 
to  be  the  brawny  swellings  of  the  muscles  of  the  breast, 
which  are  so  apparent  in  some  horses,  and  which  word  is 
applied  by  the  same  author  to  the  lion.  I  have  never  met 
with  any  observations  on  bone;  but  in  their  descriptions  of 
this  fine  animal  they  descend  to  the  most  minute  points, 
such  as  the  nostrils,  which  they  tell  us  should  not  be  nar- 
row, but  they  do  not  say  that  they  should  be  wide,  which 
they  certainiy  should  not  be.  They  apply  the  epithet '  hil- 
aris'  to  the  temper,  which  implies  everything  we  could  wish 
— lively,  but  docile.  As  to  the  color,  Virgil  is  not  quite  so 
intelligible.  He  says  bay  horses  are  reckoned  stout  (hon- 
esti),  as  also  greys;  but  condems  the  white.  Now  as  I  be- 
lieve there  never  was  a  white  foal,  it  is  difficult  to  separate 
the  virtues  of  the  one  from  the  other. 

In  one  point  of  view,  our  present  method  of  riding  to 
hounds  bears  some  analogy  to  ancient  timts.  It  is  a  sort 
of  Saturnalin  amusement,  in  which  all  ranks  and  privileges 
are  set  aside,  and  he  that  has  the  best  horse  and  the  best 
nerves  takes  the  precedence  for  the  day.  A  butcher's  boy 
upon  a  pony  may  throw  the  dirt  in  the  face  of  the  first 
Duke  in  the  kingdom.  This,  however,  though  little 
thought  of,  is  one  of  the  many  advantages  arising  from  a 
land  of  liberty: 

In  proportion  to  the  number  ofyoung  men  of  family  and 
fortune  that  are  rising  up  in  the  world,  will  bu  the  propor- 
tion of  the  different  occupations  and  diversions  which  their 
several  inclinations  will  lead  them  to  pursue.  Nature,  how- 
ever, has  something  to  do  with  this  ;  for  some  bodies  are 
less  vigorous  than  others,  and  must  be  content  with  diver- 
sions of  a  less  fatiguing  description  than  hunting,  which, 
when  well  followed,  is  the  most  laborious  of  all  pursuits  of 
the  field;  and  he  who  pursues  it  in  earnest  should  be 
in  proportion  as  strong  and  as  sound  as  the  horse  he 
rides. 

It  was  remarked  by  a  Northamptonshire  Baronet,  too 
universally  distinguished  for  his  knowledge  of  hunting, 
and  his  determined  and  desperate  manner  of  riding 
to  hounds,  to  require  any  mention  of  his  name — that  he 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  195 

considered  it  part  of  a  man's  moral  duty  to  preserve  his 
health  for  the  sake  of  riding  to  hounds!  That  it  is  part  of 
every  man's  moral  duty  to  avoid  dissipation,  and  to  take 
care  of  his  constitution,  no  one  will  dispute;  and  that  men 
who  are  devoted  to  hunting  generally  live  temperately,  those 
who  live  with  them  can  best  testify.  Without  temperance, 
the  fatigue  of  hunting  five  or  six  days  a  week  would  exhaust 
the  strongest  constitution.  Hard  work,  or  what  we  call 
'  severe  exercise,'  wears  the  human  frame  by  attrition  ;  but 
if  that  attrition  be  increased  by  the  excitement  of  drinking 
and  a  quick  pulse,  the  machine  will  be  the  sooner  worn  out. 
Nevertheless,  as  strong  exercise  is  a  preservative  against 
the  penalties  of  high  feeding,  he  who  takes  the  greater 
share  of  the  one  may  indulge  with  more  impunity  in  the 
other.  The  man,  however,  who  wishes  to  distinguish  him- 
self in  the  field,  and  to  continue  to  do  so  for  the  best  part  of 
his  life,  must  be  temperate,  The  muzzle  must  now  and  then 
be  put  on  himself,  as  well  as  his  horse  ;  but  non  misere  viv- 
it  qui  parce  vivitj  is  a  maxim  too  old  and  too  true  to  be  disput- 
ed or  doubted. 

Few  men  have  tried  the  effect  of  hard  work  more  than 
myself.  For  several  years  of  my  life  I  have  had  horses 
with  three  different  packs  of  hounds — choosing  the  best  fix- 
tures for  the  day  with  each.  As  may  be  imagined,  I  have 
had  plenty  of  road-work,  besides  hunting;  and,  when  the 
weather  has  been  open,  my  time  may  be  said  to  have  been 
almost  divided  between  my  saddle  and  my  bed.  I  never 
knew  what  it  was  to  be  fatigued  provided  I  lived  temper- 
ately and  went  early  to  rest;  and  such  a  life  bade  defiance 
to  disease,  A  very  celebrated  physician  of  the  last  century 
was  in  the  habit  of  giving  much  such  a  prescription  to  his 
patients  :  '  Live,'  said  he,  '  in  a  saddle.'  That  riding  is  the 
most  wholesome  of  all  exercises  I  have  little  doubt,  for  des- 
pite of  all  the  vile  stuff  that  finds  its  road  down  his  throat, 
who  ever  heard  of  a  bilious  post-boy  ! 

To  return  to  my  subject.     As 

'  without  a  genius,  learning  soars  in  vain,' 
so  is  riding  to  hounds  like  the  inspiration  of  the  muse.     It 


196  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

must  in  some  degree  be  born  with  a  man,  or  he  will  never 
excell  in  it.  He  must  possess  judgement,  temper,  coolness, 
and  courage:  and  even  then,  though  these  good  properties 
may  receive  their  birth  with  himself,  yet  they  must  be  per- 
fected by  practice  and  observation.  A  mad-man  or  a  cow- 
ard are  equally  unfit  for  the  business  ;  but  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, as  Humphrey  Clinker  observes,  he  must  serve 
an  apprenticeship  to  it.  As  far,  however,  as  nature  is  con- 
cerned, the  form  of  a  man  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  it ; 
for  it  is  impossible  that  any  one  with  a  round  thigh  and  a 
large  calf  to  his  leg  can  have  a  perfect  seat  on  his  horse, 
and  without  a  good  seat  he  cannot  have  a  good  hand. 

The  hand  on  a  horse  I  take  to  proceed  also  from  other 
causes.  I  conceive  it  to  be  intimately  connected  with  the 
nervous  functions  of  the  digestive  organs — and  here  again 
is  the  necessity  for  temperance  and  regular  living  in 
those  who  wish  to  excel  in  the  field  more  particularly  en- 
forced. 

The  advantages  of  a  fine  hand  on  a  horse  are,  no  doubt, 
of  the  very  highest  importance  in  riding  a  race,  but  not 
more  so  than  in  riding  over  a  country ;  and  if  a  horse  could 
speak,  he  would  say,  '  ride  me  with  a  fine  hand  and  an  easy 
bit.'  A  horse's  ear  is  said  to  be  in  his  mouth  ;  and  it  is 
from  the  bit  that  he  receives  the  wishes  and  instructions  of 
his  rider. 

The  art  of  riding  has  been  but  little  cultivated  in  this 
country,  nor  do  I  think  much  benefit  would  be  derived  from 
it  if  it  were.  That  the  menage  was  known  in  the  time  of 
Augustus  is  evident;  but  that  any  advantage  could  be  gained 
by  teaching  a  horse,  by  severe  and  painful  discipline,  to 
dance  a  capriolo,  or  a  cornetti,  I  never  could  bring  myself 
to  imagine,  unless  the  object  were  to  fit  him  for  the  stage 
or  the  circus.  As  for  the  lessons  of  a  riding-master,  they 
may  be  essential  to  a  good  military  seat,  or  to  teach  an  Eng- 
lishman to  ride  like  a  Frenchman  ;  but  they  never  will  teach 
a  man  how  to  ride,  and  make  the  most  of  his  horse  over  a 
country.  With  the  assistance  of  nature,  he  must  teach  him- 
self; but  whether  he  is  to  be  an  apt  scholar  must  depend  on 
a  variety  of  circumstances. 

The  many  instances  of  falls  which  I  have  seen  from  the 
effect  of  a  bad  hand  are  innumerable  ;  but  as  the  head  of  a 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  197 

horse  may  also  be  termed  the  rudder  that  steers  him,  if  the 
helmsman  is  a  bad  one,  a  capsize  must  often  be  the  conse- 
quence. On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  within  the  power  of  my 
pen  to  describe  the  benefit  of  a  fine,  but  firm  and  steady, 
hand  on  the  hunter  when  going  at  a  rapid  pace  across  a 
country.  We  all  recollect  some  years  ago,  that  the  late 
Sam  Chifney  talked  and  wrote  about  a  new  method  of  riding 
the  racer  with  a  slack  rein ;  but  this  was  theory,  which, 
even  with  his  fine  finger  and  his  superior  horsemanship, 
could  not  be  put  into  practice.  We  also  remember,  that  a 
few  years  back  it  was  considered  stylish  to  ride  the  hunter 
with  his  head  quite  loose.  It  is  certainly  pleasing  to  see 
one  so  perfect  as  to  be  capable  of  being  so  ridden  ;  but  I 
confess  it  yet  remains  for  me  to  see  a  man  keep  up  with 
hounds  for  an  hour  at  their  best  pace  with  a  slack  rein. 
When  they  are  going  with  a  bad  scent,  it  is  possible,  per- 
haps, to  be  done ;  but  even  then,  if  the  horse,  as  I  before 
observed,  could  speak,  he  would  ask  for  a  little  assistance 
where  the  ground  was  deep  and  distressing. 

One  of  the  principal  advantages  arising  from  a  fine  fin- 
ger on  a  hunter  is  in  handing  him  over  his  fences  so  as  to 
prevent  a  greater  exertion  of  his  powers  than  is  necessary  to 
get  safely  over  them.  To  those  horses  which  carry  high 
weights,  this  style  of  riding  is  most  beneficial ;  and  to  the 
practice  of  it  is  Mr.  Maxse  indebted  for  the  front-rank  place 
he  has  so  long  held  among  the  Meltonians. 

I  well  remember  the  first  time  that  this  fine  effect  of  su- 
perior hand  struck  me  so  forcibly,  and  that  was  the  first  time 
I  ever  hunted  in  Leicestershire,  when  Lord  Forester  was 
in  his  prime.  I  had  seen  him  out  several  times  in  provin- 
cial countries  on  his  friends'  horses  when  on  a  visit  at  their 
houses  but  I  had  never  seen  him  in  Leicestershire.  On  the 
day  I  allude  to  we  had  a  sharp  burst  of  about  half  an  hour. 
Lord  Forester  (then  Mr.  Cecil  Forester)  was  mounted  on 
Bernardo  ;  and  thinking  that  I  could  not  fix  upon  a  better 
pilot,  I  followed  him  at  a  humble  distance,  but  sufficiently 
near  to  him  to  remark  the  superiority  of  his  style  of  riding, 
and  to  account  for  his  being  able  to  make  horses  live  an  hour 
under  his  weight,  which  could  not  live  more  than  forty  min- 
utes under  much  lighter  men.  It  arose  from  his  very  su- 
perior manner  of  handing  them  over  their  fences,  and  hus- 

VOL.     II.  17* 


198  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

bandingtheir  powers,  by  preventing  them  from  leaping  high- 
er or  further  than  was  absolutely  necessary  to  clear  the 
fences  he  put  them  at.  The  fences  we  met  with  were  strong ; 
but  so  easily  did  he  seem  to  get  over  them,  that  they  appear- 
ed trifling,  until  I  came  to  them,  when  I  found  them  quite 
large  enough  to  be  agreeable. 

It  was  on  this  celebrated  horse  (Bernardo)  that  Lord 
Forester  leaped  a  brook,  when  he  was  said  to  have  cleared 
the  astonishing  space  of  thirty  feet.  Not  having  witness- 
ed the  leap,  I  can  only  say,  that  if  any  man  on  any  horse 
could  have  done  it,  it  was  to  have  been  accomplished  by 
Lord  Forester  on  Bernardo.  He  was  followed  by  a  hard 
riding  farmer  by  the  name  of  Wing;  but  it  appears  that 
he  had  nor  quite  so  strong  a  feather  in  his  pinion,  as  he 
barely  cleared  the  brook,  which  was  twenty-three  feet  from 
bank  to  bank. 

As  there  are  few  if  any,  instances  in  the  records  of  sport- 
ing of  so  conspicnousand  eminent  a  character  as  Lord  For- 
ester, and  as  anything  relating  to  such  a  character  must  be 
entertaining  and  interesting,  I  shall  devote  a  few  lines  on  the 
subject. 

Lord  Forester  was  educated  at  Westminster,  and  went 
thence  to  Christ  Church,  Oxford;  but  having  been  brought 
up  under  the  eye  of  his  uncle,  so  well  known  as  '  Old  For- 
ester of  Willy,'  and  who  kept  fox-hounds  for  many  years  of 
his  life,  he  may  be  said  to  have  been  well  entered  to  the 
sport.  Heshewed,  early  in  life,  a  remarkable  fine  eye  to  the 
essential  points  of  a  hunter ;  and  so  much  was  his  judg- 
ment looked  up  to,  and  so  great  was  his  reputation  as  a 
rider,  that  many  a  man  has  given  him  a  hundred  guineas 
more  for  a  horse  than  he  would  have  given  to  any  one  else, 
merely  because  he  could  say,  '  I  bought  him  of  Forester.' 
It  is  needless  to  observe  that  this  predilection  was  not 
lost  upon  so  good  a  judge,  and  that  at  one  period  of  his 
life  his  hunting  was  by  no  means  an  expensive  amusement 
to  him. 

Lord  Forester — which  can  be  said  of  few  other  men — 
was  a  hard  rider  for  nearly  thirty  years  of  his  life  ;  and  it 
was  only  in  consequence  of  repeated  attacks  of  the  gout 
that  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his  place  in  the  field  to  men 
younger  than  himself;  but  such  are  the  effects  of  that  terrible 
disease,  that  few  persons  are  enabled  to  stand  the  bangs  and 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  199 

bruises  that  are  met  with  in  riding  over  a  country  after  one  or 
two  severe  fits  of  it.  Having,  however,  married  the  Duke 
of  Rutlands's  sister,  he  goes  every  season  to  Belvoir,  ap- 
pearing at  covert  when  his  health  will  permit"  him,  but  giv- 
ing place  to  an  excellent  representative  in  his  eldest 
son,  who  bids  fair  to  equal  his  father  in  the  field,  and  whom 
I  mentioned  in  one  of  my  letters  on  Oxfordshire,  as  '  a  very 
promising  young  one.1 

Lord  Forester's  seat  on  his  horse  at  once  denotes  the 
workman,  being  strong,  powerful,  and  graceful.  A  fine 
man  upon  a  fine  horse'  has  been  characterised  as  one  of  the 
best  specimens  of  the  plastic  art  of  Him  who  made  them  ; 
but  unless  the  man  sits  gracefully  on  the  horse,  and  handles 
him  well,  that  fine  effect  is  lost.  As  the  poet  says,  he  should 
be  '  incorporate  with  the  brave  beast,'  and  such  does  Lord 
F.  appear  to  be.  His  eye  to  a  country  is  also  remarkably 
quick,  and  his  knowledge  of  Leicestershire  has  given  him 
no  small  advantage. 

Where  a  strong  competition  exists — as  in  riding  to  hounds 
— it  is  almost  requiring  too  much  of  human  nature  to  shut 
out  all  appearance  of  jealousy  ;  and  some  humorous  anec- 
dotes are  related  of  Lord  Forester  in  his  hard  riding  days. 
One  is,  that  getting  first  to  a  gentleman's  park,  the  pales  of 
which  were  not  to  be  leaped,  he  espied  a  small  bridle-gate, 
which  he  got  through  before  the  rest  of  the  field  came  up, 
and  locking  it  after  him,  and  putting  the  key  into  his  pock- 
et, he  bade  farewell  to  his  brother  sportsmen,  and  of  course 
had  the  rest  of  the  run  to  himself.  On  another  occasion, 
he  is  said  to  have  ridden  at  a  fence  regardless  of  the  old  cau- 
tion of  looking  before  we  leap,  and  to  have  landed  in  the 
middle  of  a  very  deep  pond :  on  a  countryman,  who  saw 
him,  calling  out  to  some  others  who  were  coming  in  the 
same  direction  to  warn  them  of  their  danger,  he  stopped 
him  by  exclaiming,  '  Hold  your  tongue — say  nothing — we 
shall  have  it  full  in  a  minute  !' 

As  I  before  observed,  Lord  Forester  always  showed  a 
master-judgment  in  the  points  of  a  hunter;  and  in  conse- 
quence of  his  residing  in  Shropshire — a  county  which  has 
so  long  been  celebrated  for  its  breed  of  horses — he  has  a 
good  opportunity  of  mounting  himself  well.  He  has  al- 
ways insisted  on  the  necessity  of  lengthy  shoulders,  good 
fetlocks,  well-formed  hindalegs,  and  open  feet1;  and  know- 


200  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

ing  better  than  to  confound  strength  with  size,  his  horses 
seldom  exceeded  15  hands  2  inches.  On  anything  relating 
to  a  hunter  his  authority  has  long  been  considered  classic, 
and  if '  Forester  said  so,'  it  is  enough. 

There  is  an  old  adage  but  a  very  true  one,  that  '  when  a 
man's  character  is  established,  he  may  say  anything  ;'  and 
this  may  in  some  measure  be  applied  to  Lord  Forester. 
Without  any  illnatured  object,  but  merely  to  afford  amuse- 
ment, hewill  occasionally  indulge  in  somefreedom  of  speech; 
and  certainly  his  Lordship  must  be  allowed  to  possess  a 
most  happy  talent  of  quizzing  what  in  the  phrase  of  the 
day,  is  called  'a  slow  top*.'  As  a  sportsman,  however,  the 
name  of  Lord  Forester  will  always  stand  pre-eminent  in 
the  field  ;  and  in  private  life  he  is  a  very  friendly  man,  and 
has  ever  adhered'-to  those  principles  of  honor  and  integrity 
which  characterise  the  gentleman. 

Incorporated  as  it  were  with  the  name  of  Forester,'  in 
the  Sporting  World,  for  these  last  thirty  years,  has  been  the 
nameof  'Cholmondeley.  The  strongest  friendship  has  existed 
between  them  from  very  early  life,  and  when  we  heard  of  the 
one,  we  generally  heard  of  the  other;  and  it  is  hard  to  say  which 
of  them  has  given  most  eclat  to  Leicestershire  fox-hunting. 
Asa  rider  to  hounds  though  a  brilliantonethe  latter  always  gave 
way  to  the  former,  who  must  be  considered  as  the  champion  of 
his  day]  but  in  elegant  manners,  and  in  the  accomplish- 
ments of  a  gentleman,  he  yields  to  no  one.  These  ga41ant 
sportsmen  might  be  classically  termed  the  Castor  and  Pol- 
lux of  their  day;  and  had  they  lived  in  the  time  of  Hercu- 
les, they  would  have  borne  away  his  honors  at  the  Olym- 
pic. As  it  is,  however,  they  have  been  rewarded  by  their 
Sovereign,  by  being  raised  to  the  Patrican  order.  Whether 
they  would  have  been  so  honored,  had  they  not  been  so  con- 
spicuous in  the  field,  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  determine ; 
but  certain  it  is,  that  though  Lord  Forester  may  sound  well 
enough,  Lord  Delamere  is  a  bad  exchange  for  Thomas 

*  A '  slow  top '  is  one  who  is  so  unfortunate  as  to  appear  by  a  covert's 
side  within  twenty  miles  of  Melton  Mowbray  under  any  of  the  lollow- 
ing  circumstances :— '  With  a  front  to  his  bridle,  or  with  a  martin- 
gal  ;  on  a  country-made  saddle,  with  nobs  on  his  stirrups ;  with  a  sad- 
dle cloth ;  in  a  straight-cut  coat ;  in  leather  breeches  or  military  spurs. 
It  is  deemed  impossible  that  such  a  man  can  '  do  the  thing.' 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  201 

Cholmondeley  Esq.  of  Vale-Royal  M.  P.,  for  the  county. 
The  one  reminds  us  of  'olden  times;'  the  other  is  to  be 
heard  of  nowhere  but  in  the  third  volume  of  a  four-and  six- 
penny novel,  '  by  a  Lady." 

The  way  to  heaven  was  once  so  easy,  that,  if  I  recollect 
right,  Juvenal  makes  Atlas  complain  that  his  shoulders 
ached  with  the  load  of  gods  he  had  to  carry;  and  if  this 
were  the  case  now,  he  who  could  beat  every  man  in  Leices- 
tershire for  a  season  would  in  time  have  a  snug  birth 
amongst  them.  There  was,  however,  says  Cicero,  rather 
too  close  a  resemblance  between  gods  and  men  in  those  days 
to  please  him  ;  and  we  will  not  dispute  this  point.  Never- 
theless, we  may  venture  to  assert,  that,  amongst  us  sports- 
men, '  the  laurels  that  Cs3sar  won  '  would  be  weeds  com- 
pared with  those  which  we  should  \0eath  around  his 
brow. 

In  what  way  the  sons  of  Adam  were  to  have  passed  their 
lives  had  not  Paradise  been  too  good  for  them,  I  leave  oth- 
ers to  decide  ;  but  to  me  a  covert's  side  in  a  good  country  is 
an. Elysium.  Solomon  satiated  himself  with  women,  wine, 
and  palaces,  fine  horses,  gold,  and  silver,  good  eating,  drink- 
ing, and  music,  and  then  grumbled  at  them  all;  but  he  nev- 
er tried  fox-hunting,  or  I  think  he  would  would  have  been 
in  better  humor.  It  is  among  the  scenes  of  nature  that 
generous  emotions  are  excited,  and  like  the  veteran  Coch- 
ran,  or  the  great  John  Ward,  if  we  live  amongst  them,  we 
shall  enjoy  them  to  the  last,  and  leave  to  others  to  indulge 
in  softness  and  effeminacy,  which  not  only  deprive  them  of 
all  fence  against  discord  or  age,  but  leave  them  with  shat- 
tered nerves  and  exhausted  senses,  and  a  pampered  appetite 
for  what  they  cannot  enjoy.  Of  such  men  as  these,  we 
may  justly  exclaim — '  Non  his  juventis  orta  parentibus!' — 
'  it  is  not  from  such  sires  that  the  race  of  English^  gentlemen 
is  to  be  propagated.1 

In  fair  play,  however,  there  is  one  reason  why  King  Sol- 
omon could  not  have  tried  fox-hunting,  and  that  is,  the  com- 
pany he  must  have  mixed  with  when  riding  to  hounds  ;  for 
certainly  the  best  performer  we  have  ever  heard  of  has  been 
one  with  whom  this  Royal  Israelite  could  not  with  proprie- 
ty have  entered  the  field,  after  having  preached  so  much 
against  him  ;  and  that  is  the  devil !  Reader,  be  not  sur- 


202  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

prised  or  alarmed  !  but  ask  a  Meltonian  how  such  a  one, 
who  has  been  distinguishing  himself  with  hounds  gets  on, 
and  it  is  ten  to  one  that  he  answers,  '  Oh,  he  rides  like  the 
devil!'  Now  as  this  simile  is  really  become  proverbial,  it 
is  only  fair  to  conclude  that  the  devil  has  been  a  very  good 
performer  in  his  time.  As  to  the  color  he  rode  in,  it  may 
be  difficult  at  this  moment  to  determine,  but  we  have  the 
best  authority  for  believing  he  was  never  so  black  as  he  is 
painted.  In  his  own  country  we  should  imagine  he  rode  in 
red. 

Though  Solomon  may  never  have  tried  it,  hunting  has 
been  a  favorite  sport  with  Kings  since  the  days  of  the 
princely  Cyrus.  Our  Second  Henry — acknowledged  to  be 
one  of  our  greatest  Kings — was  such  a.  determined  sports- 
man, that  I  shall  afve  a  little  sketch  of  him  in  that  charac- 
ter in  the  words  ot  one  of  his  historians. 

'  He  neglected  his  hands  '  says  this  pleasing  writer, '  nev- 
er wearing  gloves  but  in  hawking.  His  clothes  were  short, 
calculated  for  expedition ;  his  boots  plain,  and  his  bonnet 
unadorned.  His  feet  and  legs  were  generally  in  a  bruised 
and  livid  state,  from  the  repeated  blows  of  his  horses,  yet 
he  never  sat  down  unless  when  unavoidable.  His  chief 
amusements  were  those  of  the  field,  which  he  pursued  with 
immoderate  ardor.  He  was  on  horseback  before  the  sun 
was  up — often  fatigued  the  most  robust  sportsman  in  the 
chase;  and  returning  sometimes  late,  sat  down  to  a  frugal 
meal  which  was  soon  despatched,  and  he  was  again  on  his 
feet  till  an  early  hour  called  him  to  his  couch.  Thus,  by 
exercise  and  abstemiousness,  he  opposed  a  disposition  to  cor- 
pulency, which  indulgence  would  soon  have  rendered  troub- 
lesome and  unwieldy.  His  hawks  were  brought  from  Nor- 
way, and  some  from  Wales ;  but  he  was  particularly  cu- 
rious in  his  hounds,  that  they  should  be  fleet,  well-tongued, 
and  consonous.  His  vices  were  the  vices  of  the  man,  and 
his  virtues  were  the  virtues  of  a  Prince.  He  wished  to 
make  his  people  happy,  by  easing  their  burthens;  and  miti- 
gated the  severity  of  the  forest  laws,  in  the  eye  of  his  ru- 
ling passion.  Notwithstanding  this,'  adds  his  biographer 
(but  perhaps  his  subjects  were  unreasonable),  '  he  was  little 
loved,  and  died  unregretted.' 

The  character  I  have  now  transcribed  is  the  character  of 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  203 

a  man,  as  well  as  that  of  a  Prince  ;  and  we  might  find  some 
parallels  to  it  in  modern  days.  I  have  already  mentioned 
the  opinion  of  a  sporting  Baronet  in  Northamptonshire,  that 
it  was  the  moral  duty  of  every  man  to  take  care  of  his 
health  for  the  sake  of  riding  to  hounds — an  opinion  in  which 
I  heartily  concur  ;  and  as  to  the  bruised  and  livid  state  of 
his  Majesty's  legs,  we  might  also  find  a  comparison  here ; 
for  it  is  said  of  Frederick  Berkeley,  that  at  the  end  of  one 
season  in  Leicestershire,  his  body  was  '  black  and  blue,'  as 
it  is  termed,  from  the  bangs  and  blows  he  had  encountered 
in  riding  to  hounds.  These,  however,  are  the  men  to  breed 
from:  'for  who,'  says  a  very  old  writer  on  hunting,  'is  so 
likely  to  gain  a  rampart,  or  mount  an  entrenchment,  as  he 
whose  long  practice  hath  been  scaling  the  fortifications  of 
meadows  and  inclosures  ?  who  so  proper  to  manage  his 
horse  with  address  and  intrepidity  in  time  of  action,  as  he 
whose  trade  and  occupation  are  leaping  over  five-bar  gates, 
hedges,  and  stone- walls  ?  Habit  and  experience  qualify  the 
fox-hunter  for  the  sap  or  for  the  storm,  to  unkennel  or  pur- 
sue :  long  custom  hath  made  him  acquainted  with  all  sorts 
of  ground,  with  hills  and  valleys,  morasses  and  deserts, 
streights  and  precipices ;  hath  enabled  him  to  excel  in 
marcher  forage,  in  ambush  or  surprise,  in  attack  or  retreat. 
How  common  was  it  for  champions  like  these  to  give  terror 
to  a  squadron,  or  to  make  lanes  among  legions  of  French- 
men !  With  what  health  and  vigor  did  they  then  return 
home  to  the  arms  of  their  consorts!  What  hopeful,  rosy, 
jolly  branches  were  seen  round  their  table!  What  martial 
heroes,  inheritors  of  their  virtues  and  their  valor,  did  they 
leave  to  their  country!' 

As  the  gallant  sportsman  to  whom  I  have  now  ventured  to 
allude  has  just  entered  into  the  holy  state  of  wedlock,  some 
part  of  the  above  extract  rather  aptly  applies:  and  as  he  has 
selected  a  daughter  of  the  late  Duke  of  Richmond  for  his 
wife,  I  may  be  allowed  to  observe,  in  the  language  of  Nim- 
rod,  that  the  cross  must  be  a  good  one. 

'  Age  (:?ays  the  author  of  Rasselas)  '  looks  with  anger  on 
the  temerity  of  youth,  and  youth  with  contempt  on  the  scru- 
pulosity of  age  !'  Nothing  can  be  more  true  than  this,  and 
I  once  saw  it  exemplified  : — An  old  lady  of  my  acquaintance 
was  taking  an  airing  one  day  in  her  carriage,  and,  as  the 


204  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

song  says,  '  the  hounds  came  in  view." — '  You  were  in  luck, 
Madam,'  said  I  to  her  in  the  evening.  '  Yes,'  she  replied, 
'  I  saw  you  all  daring  Providence}  I  could  not  help  being 
struck  with  the  remark,  but  ventured  to  tell  her  Ladyship, 
that  I  was  in  hopes  that  '  a  Providence  sat  up  aloft '  to  keep 
watch  for  the  life<>f  a  sportsman  as  well  as  that  for  poor 
Jack.  When  a  man,  however,  is  in  the  act  of  riding  to 
hounds,  and  determined  to  be  with  them,  being  hurt  by  a 
fall  is  only  a  secondary  consideration,  the  first  being  whether 
he  may  not  lose  his  horse,  for  as  Tom  Smith  says,  exclusive 
of  being  done  for  the  day,  there  is  nothing  so  low  as  to  be 
running  after  one's  horse,  crying  out  '  Catch  my  hdrse ! 
pray  catch  my  horse  !' 

When  we  come  to  reflect,  however,  it  is  astonishing  how 
few  persons  out  of  the  number  that  ride  over  a  country  are 
hurt  by  falls.  A  good  story  is  told  on  this  subject  of  a  hard- 
riding  whipper-in,  who  had  a  great  many  falls  in  his  time, 
but  was  never  hurt  in  any  of  them.  One  unlucky  day, 
however,  his  horse  fell  with  him,  and  rolling  him  as  a  cook 
would  a  pie-crust,  nearly  flattened  all  the  prominences  of 
his  body.  Getting  up,  and  limping  after  him,  he  was  heard 
muttering  to  himself — Well,  now  I  be  hurt!  There  is  a  pic- 
ture at  Mr.  Corbet's,  of  Sundorn,ofthe  famous  Tom  Moody 
when  whipper-in  to  Mr.  Childe.  He  is  represented  in  the 
act  of  falling  over  some  high  park  palings,  and  at  the  same 
time  giving  a  view-halloo  to  a  fox  that  was  sinking  before 
his  hounds.  This  is  the  man,  who,  when  he  was  run  to 
ground  himself,  was  carried  to  the  church-yard  by  six  earth- 
stoppers,  who,  by  his  request,  gave  three  'rattling  view  hal- 
loos  '  over  his  grave. 

If  I  were  asked  who  it  was  that  had  shown  the  greatest 
contempt  for  the  consequence  of  a  bad  fall,  that  ever  came 
under  my  observation,  I  should  have  no  hesitation  in  say- 
ing, it  was  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Stanhope,  who  was 
on  a  visit  to  Sir  Bellingham  Graham,  when  he  hunted  the 
Atherstone  countiy.  On  the  Friday  his  horse  fell  with  him, 
and  hurt  his  shoulder,  but  nothing  was  broken  or  displaced. 
The  consequence  was,  he  came  out  on  the  following  Mon- 
day with  his  arm  in  a  sling.  We  found  a  fox  in  the  finest 
part  of  Sir  Bellingharn's  Leicesteshire  country,  and  killed 
in  fifteen  minutes,  during  which  Mr.  Stanhope  was  in  a  very 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  205 

good  place.  Having  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  him  a 
few  evenings  before  at  Sir  Bellingham's,  I  asked  him  if  he 
did  not  find  it  very  awkward  to  ride  with  only  one  hand, 
when  he  assured  me  he  found  little  difficulty  with  the  horse 
he  was  then  riding,  as  he  was  so  very  temperate,  and  had 
never  given  him  a  fall.  '  That  is  dange«3us  to  boast  of,' 
said  T  to  him  ;  and  here  the  conversation  ended.  We  found 
another  fox,  and  had  a  fine  run  of  an  hour  and  ten  minutes 
and  killed.  About  the  middle  of  it,  we  came  to  a  brook, 
which  we  all  got  well  over  with  the  exception  of  Stanhope, 
who  unfortunately  pitching  on  a  turn  in  the  bank,  and  dis- 
daining to  look,  did  not  clear  it,  and  his  horse  threw  him 
with  great  violence  on  the  opposite  side.  1  saw  him  lying 
on  the  ground, apparently  as  dead  as  if  he  had  been  shot  at 
Waterloo;  and  it  was  upwards  of  five  minutes  before  he 
showed  any  signs  of  returning  animation.  On  getting  back 
to  Sir  Bellingham's  house — having  been  blooded  at  Bos- 
worth — all  necessary  measures  were  taken,  and  the  doctor 
would  feign  have  persuaded  Mr.  Stanhope  that  some  ribs 
were  broken.  He  had  a  short  husky  cough,  and  two  or 
three  other  directing  symptoms  which  seldom  mislead  a 
skilful  apothecary  ;  but  he  resisted  all  such  insinuations, 
and  assured  him  he  should  be  well  in  a  few  days:  and  the 
Quorn  hounds  coming  within  reach  on  the  following 
.  Thursday,  he  went  to  meet  them  still  having  his  arm  in  a 
sling  ! 

In  the  course  of  this  day's  sport,  some  of  the  party, 
among  whom  was  Mr.  Stanhope,  got  into  a  corner  of  a 
field  and  were  pounded.  What  is  not  very  usual  in  this 
country,  one  of  the  hardest  riders  in  England  had  dismount- 
ed, and  was  trying  to  pull  down  the  top  bar  of  a  flight  of 
rails,  which  did  not  otherwise  appear  practicable.  'Let  me 
try,'  said  Mr.  Stanhope,  '  I  am  on  a  good  one.'  The  sequel 
was,  he  rode  at  it  and  got  a  tremendous  fall.  On  seeing 
him  lying  on  the  ground,  Sir  Bellingham  rode  up  to  him, 
and  said,  '  Now  I'll  tell  you  what,  Stanhope,  you  are  a  good 
one,  but  by  G-d  you  shall  ride  no  more  to-day  !  Go  to 
Leicester  and  put  yourself  into  your  carriage,  and  get  to 
town  as  quick  as  you  can  and  get  cuied  ! '  He  took  his 
friend's  advice;  and  when  he  arrived  there,  Mr.  Heaviside 
found  out  that  he  had  two  ribs  broken,  and  his  breast-bone 

VOL.    II.  18 


206  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

beaten  in  !  !  This,  we  may  also  say,  is  not  a  bad  sort  of  a 
man  to  breed  from. 

The  most  difficult  part  of  riding  to  hounds  is  '  facing  a 
brook ;  '  but  before  I  proceed  to  say  any  thing  on  that  sub- 
ject generally,  1  shall  mention  one  which  Mr.  Mytton  leap- 
ed in  cool  blood,  on  his  return  from  hunting  his  own  hounds 
in  Shropshire.  It  measured  a  Iktle  more  than  seven  yards 
in  the  clear  ;  but  the  space  covered  in  the  leap  was  nine 
yards  and  a  quarter,  from  one  hind  footstep  to  the  other. 
.Being  at  his  house  at  the  time,  I  saw  it  measured  the  next 
morning  in  the  presence  of  several  other  sporting  men. 
This  extraordinary  leap,  without  the  presence  of  hounds, 
was  taken  by  that  extraordinary  horse  Baronet.  Some 
years  since,  Mr.  Mytton  .backed  him  to  clear  nine  yards 
over  hurdles  placed  at  some  distance  from  each  other ;  but 
he  performed  the  task  so  often  with  him  before  the  appoint- 
ed time,  that  he  refused  it  then  and  lost  his  master's  money. 

Baronet  is  a  mean  looking  horse,  with  only  one  eye  ;  but 
Nature  has  made  amends  for  that,  by  giving  him  more  than 
one  life,  or  he  would  never  have  survived  the  last  seven 
years  which  he  has  been  in  Mr.  Mytton's  possession.  He 
may  be  said  to  be  as  stout  as  steel ;  and  if  there  was  rank 
among  brutes,  this  Baronet  should  have  been  raised  to  the 
peerage. 

Mr.  Mytton  has  no  doubt  put  the  powers  of  the  horse  to 
the  test  as  much  as  any  man  in  England,  or  in  any  other 
country;  and  it  is  a  common  answer  to  the  question  whether 
such  a  fence  is  practicable,  that  '  it  would  do  for  Mytton.1 
In  Lord  Bradford's  Park,  when  he  hunted  the  Shiffnal  coun- 
try, he  cleared  one  of  his  Lordship's  deer-hurdles,  upwards 
of  six  feet  high;  and,  what  is  more  surprising,  he  covered 
the  space  of  eight  yards  in  length  at  the  same  time.  This 
was  accomplished  on  a  horse  called  'The  Hero,'  which  he 
purchased  of  me  for  500  guineas,  and  was  the  same  that 
leaped  the  gate  with  him  in  Mr.  Jellico's  grounds  in  Shrop- 
shire, the  height  of  which  was  seven  feet.  I  have  possess- 
ed belter  brook-jumpers  than  '  The  Hero,'  as  he  would  al- 
ways make  a  trifling  stop  at  them  ;  but  he  was  the  highest 
leaper  I  ever  was  master  of  in  my  life. 

In  my  experience  of  riding  to  hounds,  I  have  observed, 
that  nothing  tends  so  much  to  make  a  field  select  as  a  good 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  207 

rasping  brook.  In  the  first  place,  many  horses  will  not 
face  it,  and  in  the  next,  many  men  will  not  ride  at  it ;  and 
to  be  good  at  water  is  one  of  the  first  and  most  essential 
qualifications  in  each.  Even  a  brookling,  with  soft  banks, 
and  horses  a  little  abroad,  often  creates  no  small  confusion 
among  those  who  are  not  mounted  on  hunters.*  A  fall  at 
a  brook  is  generally  an  awkward  one,  both  to  the  rider  and 
to  his  horse:  the  latter  is  very  liable  to  strain  himself;  and 
the  former,  if  not  hurt,  is  sure  to  be  spoiled  for  the  day,  ex- 
clusive of  affording  some  amusement  to  his  friends.  When 
the  famous  Dick  Knight  hunted  Northamptonshire,  he  rode 
over  a  wide  and  deep  brook  at  the  same  time  that  a  Rever- 
end Gentleman  was  floating  down  it,  having  been  landed  in 
the  middle  of  it.  '  The  gentleman  swims  like  a  cork,'  said 
Dick,  without  ever  thinking  of  assisting  him.  This  tum- 
bling into  deep  brooks,  however,  is  no  joking  matter;  for 
when  a  man  comes  to  fall  backwards  with  his  horse  into 
deep  water,  and,  as  it  often  happens,  gets  under  him,  and 
remains  there  till  his  horse  recover  his  legs,  he  may  be  said 
to  be  anywhere  but  in  clover,  and  many  narrow  escapes  to 
my  knowledge  have  been  encountered. 

Several  wagers  have  been  made  about  leaping  brooks  in 
cool  blood.  One  was  between  Lord  Alvanley  and  Mr. 
Maher,  some  years  since,  in  Leicestershire,  for  100  guineas. 
It  was  that  each  did  not  ride  over  a  brook  that  measured  six 
yards  in  the  clear,  without  disturbing  the  water.  They  both 
cleared  it  handsomely,  but  a  bit  of  dirt  being  thrown  back 
into  it  by  Lord  Alvanley's  horse,  after  he  had  landed,  it  was 
of  course  decided  against  his  Lordship. 

Among  the  accidents  that  happen  from  brook-jumping, 
over-reaching  horses  is  the  most  common.  To  guard  against 
this,  the  inside  edge  of  the  hinder  shoes  should  be  bevilled 
down  with  the  blacksmith's  hammer,  so  as  to  make  it  quite 
harmless,  as  the  best  preventive  of  over-reaching. 

A  horse  cannot  be  called  a  hunter  unless  he  is  a  good 
brook-jumper  ;  but  to  be  a  very  good  orfe  is  a  rare  qualifica- 
tion. It  is  not  that  almost  every  horse  has  not  the  power  of 
extending  himself  over  six  or  seven  yards  of  water';  but  a 
great  many  of  them  appear  to  have  a  more  natural  dislike 

*  All  hunters  are  horses,  but  all  horses  are  not  hunters. 


208  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

to  it  than  to  any  other  species  of  fence ;  and  to  get  over  a 
wide  brook  requires  os  much  resolution  in  a  horse  as  in  his 
rider;  and  in  no  part  of  riding  to  hounds  does  a  man  dis- 
tinguish himself  more.  When  I  was  in  the  habit  of  mak- 
ing young  horses  into  hunters  I  found  the  best  effect  from 
the  following  plan  of  education  :  I  used  to  pitch  upon  rather 
a  soft  meadow,  through  which  ran  a  small  rivulet,  or  '  brook- 
ling,'  as  it  is  termed,  with  shelving  banks  on  each  side,  so 
that  there  was  no  possibility  of  getting  a  fall  by  a  young 
one  putting  his  feet  into  it  at  taking  off  I  then  accustomed 
him  to  go  three-parts  speed  at  it,  taking  it  in  his  stroke, 
which  he  generally  appeared  to  do  with  increased  confi- 
dence every  time  he  was  ridden  at  it.  I  never  rode  him 
over  it  more  than  three  times  in  one  day,  taking  care  he  did 
not  see  it  till  he  came  close  to  it.  I  have  frequently  seen 
six  or  seven  yards,  from  side  to  side,  cleared  in  this  way 
without  apparent  difficulty.  The  advantage  of  this  method 
is,  that  it  gives  confidence  to  a  young  one,  as,  from  the  na- 
ture of  the  ground,  a  mistake  cannot  happen  ;  and  I  have 
no  doubt  but  that  many  horses  are  prevented  from  ever 
being  good  brook-jumpers  by  getting  into  brooks  before  they 
know  how  to  get  over  them.  I  had  a  very  satisfactory 
proof  of  the  efficacy  of  this  plan  three  years  ago  with  a 
thorough-bred  horse  just  out  of  training,  and  who,  when  I 
first  had  him,  stopped  short  and  snorted  even  at  a  deep  cart- 
rut:  after  a  few  of  these  lessons,  he  would  leap  a  very  fair 
brook, — merely  the  result  of  confidence  in  himself. 

Amongst  other  countries,  I  hunted  one  season  in  Ireland; 
and  there  I  found  out  the  reason  of  the  horses  of  that  coun- 
try being  such  good  drain-leapers,  as  they  are  called,  which 
is  to  be  attributed  solely  to  their  education.  If  an  Irishman 
has  got  a  clever  young  horse,  which  he  means  to  make  a 
hunter,  he  puts  a  fellow  more  than  half  drunk  on  his  back, 
with  a  pair  of  sharp  spurs  and  a  cutting  whip  (Anglice,  a 
hand-whip,)  and  he  gallops  him  at  all  sorts  of  fences,  re* 
gardless  whether  he  goes  into  them  or  over  them — though 
with  the  help  of  the  instruments  just  mentioned,  and  a  good 
'  Horough  !  by  Jasus,  the  devil  a  balk  you're  going  to  make 
now  ! '  the  latter  is  generally  accomplished.  In  our  own 
country,  however,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  a  little  punishment  is 
wanting  tc  persuade  most  horses  to  extend  themselves  over 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  209 

large  brooks;  and  'the  persuaders,'  as  they  are  termed,  as 
well  as  a  stroke  or  two  of  the  whip  down  the  shoulders,  are 
of  the  greatest  use.  It  should  here  be  observed,  that  though 
the  spurs  should  be  applied  when  in  the  act  of  charging  a 
brook,  the  rider's  knees  should  be  straightened  before  he 
comes  to  the  bank,  or,  in  case  of  a  refusal,  a  ducking  must 
be  the  consequence. 

Most  people  know  what  a  number  of  brooks  there  are  in 
the  Q,uorn  and  Belvoir  countries  ;  and  most  sportsmen  have 
heard  what  a  rare  hand  Tom  Smith  is  at  getting  over  them. 
The  Styx  itself  would  scarcely  stop  him  when  a  fox  is  sink- 
ing. This  is  to  be  attributed  to  his  resolute  way  of  riding 
to  hounds,  by  which  his  horses  know  it  is  in  vain  to  refuse 
whatever  he  may  put  them  at.  What  I  have  now  said,  was 
strongly  exemplified  when  he  hunted  the  Q,uorn  hounds. 
He  was  galloping  at  three-parts  speed  down  one  of  those 
large  fields  in  the  Harborough  country,  in  the  act  of  bring- 
ing his  hounds  to  a  scent,  and  was  looking  back  to  see  if 
they  were  coming:  in  the  middle  of  this  field,  and  exactly 
in  the  course  in  which  his  horse  was  going,  was  a  pond  of 
water,  into  which  he  leaped,  thinking  it  useless  to  refuse, 
and  of  course  not  knowing  that  he  was  not  intended  to  do 
so.  This  horse  would,  no  doubt,  have  jumped  into  the 
Thames  or  the  Severn. 

Milton  gives  reason  to  brutes ;  and  undoubtedly  some 
hunters  that  have  been  ridden  many  seasons  in  enclosed 
countries,  and  are  of  docile  tempers,  nearly  bear  him  out  in 
his  hypothesis — for  it  is  wonderful  with  what  care  and  cau- 
tion many  of  them  avoid  danger,  and  at  the  same  time  east- 
themselves  of  labor  in  a  run,  by  taking  every  advantage  of 
picking  their  ground.  A  horse  of  this  description  can 
scarcely  be  made  to  go  on  the  top  of  a  deep-ploughed  land, 
as  he  knows  he  shall  tread  much  more  firmly  in  the  furrow ; 
and  he  will  make  many  attempts  to  get  on  head-lands  and 
other  sound  ground.  I  once  saw  a  particular  instance  of 
sagacity  in  a  hunter  of  my  own,  which  I  shall  never  forget: 
I  was  riding  him  at  a  small  fence  in  Northamptonshire,  hav- 
ing my  eye  intent  on  the  hounds,  and  did  not  see  a  row  of 
live  stakes,  the  remains  of  another  fence  which  had  been 
cut  up,  as  is  common  in  that  country,  and  on  which  he  would 
have  alighted  ;  but  he  stopped  short,  and  refused  it.  Whe 

VOL.    II.  18* 


210 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 


ther  this  was  or  was  not  reason,  I  leave  others  to  determine; 
but  it  was  something  '  sui  generis,1  which  saved  me  a  good 
horse,  and  I  am  satisfied. 

Having  mentioned  what  I  have  found  to  be  the  best 
method  of  getting  horses  over  brooks,  I  now  come  to  point 
out  the  best  way  of  getting  them  out  of  them,  when  they 
are  so  unfortunate  as  to  get  in ;  and  which  is  always  a 
troublesome  and  often  a  difficult  task.  When  a  horse  of 
my  own  was  pulled  out  of  the  river  Cherwell,  the  cheek  of 
the  snaffle  bit  was  forced  through  his  under  jaw,  so  that  he 
could  only  eat  bruised  corn  for  the  rest  of  the  season.  This 
was  from  want  of  better  management.  Two  seasons  back 
I  got  a  horse  into  a  brook  in  Staffordshire,  the  bottom  of 
which  was  so  bad  that  he  was  unable  to  keep  on  his  feet. 
His  head  was  the  only  part  above  water,  and  one  more  strug- 
gle would  have  drowned  him.  By  the  direction,  however, 
of  some  old  sportsmen  who  were  present,  a  quantity  of  stir- 
rup-leathers were  buckled  together,  one  of  which  was  se- 
cured around  his  neck,  and  he  was  pulled  out  by  his  head, 
and  thus  his  life  was  preserved. 

In  leaping  a  wide  brook,  a  horse  must  spring  a  certain 
height,  or  the  joint  weight  of  himself  and  his  rider  would 
bring  him  too  soon  to  the  ground.  The  momentum,  how- 
ever, has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  it;  for  which  reason  a  man 
should  always  ride  at  a  brook  at  a  quick  pace,  holding  his 
horse  fast  by  the  head,  sticking  the  needles  well  into 
his  sides,  and  never  letting  him  see  it  till  he  comes  to 
it. 

Standing  leapers — that  is,  horses  which  will  only  leap 
standing — are  now  almost  exploded,  and  are  very  unfit  for 
brook-jumping.  It  must,  indeed,  require  no  small  degree 
of  nerve  to  ride  one  of  this  description  over  a  good  deep 
brook  with  hollow  banks.  Some*  years  since  Mr.  Robert 
Canning  bought  a  very  magnificent  horse,  called  Parnassus, 
from  the  Earl  of  Stamford,  who,  though  he  leaped  a  fence 
or  two  flying  on  the  day  he  bought  him,  would  always 
stand  at  them  afterwards  —  probably  to  be  accounted  for  by 
his  not  liking  seventeen  stone  on  his  back  ;  and  also,  per- 
haps, the  result  of  a  little  of  that  reasoning  faculty  which 
the  poet  I  alluded  to  has  allowed  to  these  noble  animals.  It 
was  astonishing^  however,  what  brooks  Mr.  Canning  could 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  211 

get  this  horse  over  ;  but  the  world  is  not  peopled  with  such 
riders  as  him,  and  standing  jumpers  are,  generally  speaking, 
bad  articles  for  fox-hunters. 

There  is  one  method  of  riding  to  hounds  most  essential 
to  getting  across  enclosed  countries,  which  the  Melton  men 
call  '  screwing.1  This  consists  in  forcing  a  horse  through 
rough  places,  without  suffering  him  to  jump — at  least,  not 
more  than  sufficient  to  clear  the  ditch,  if  there  be  one, 
Two  things  are  requisite  here— a  fine  hand  in  the  rider 
and  a  disregard  of  being  pricked  in  the  horse.  It  is  on 
the  latter  account  that  thorough-bred  horses  so  often  fail  in 
making  good  hunters,  as  not  one  in  twenty  will  bear  press- 
ing against  strong  thorns,  in  consequence  of  their  skins 
being  so  thin.  With  men  in  the  habit  of  riding  to  hounds, 
being  thrown  off  a  horse,  unless  the  horse  fall,  is  the  last 
thing  they  dream  of;  but  I  was  the  other  day,  in  trying  to 
screw  a  thorough-bred  one  through  a  thick  place  out  of  a 
covert  in  Surrey.  He  took  a  sudden  spring  in  the  air  from 
the  place  where  he  stood,  trying  to  clear  the  highest  twig 
in  the  fence  ;  and  being  very  powerful  in  his  hips,  the  lash 
of  his  hind  legs  all  but  unhorsed  me.  It  accounted  for  my 
having  seen  him  throw  a  groom  over  his  head  a  few  days 
before  at  two  trifling  fences  in  succession. 

Without  screwing  and  creeping,  however,  no  man  can  be 
sure  of  getting  over  all  kinds  of  countries.  The  former  is 
most  particularly  useful  in  Leicestershire,  Northampton- 
shire, and  Warwickshire,  where  the  quick  is  not  plashed 
down  ;  and  creeping  is  a  sine  qua  non  in  Staffordshire, 
Shropshire,  Cheshire,  and  all  those  countries  where  the 
hedge  is  put  on  the  bank  or  cop.  Were  horses  to  take 
these  fences  flying,  it  is  next  to  impossible  that  they  could  live 
very  long  with  hounds.  Creeping  adds  also  very  much  to 
the  safety  of  the  rider ;  for  if  a  horse  take  time  to  get  on 
the  bank,  and  will  stick  his  hinder  feet  firmly  into  it  before 
he  springs,  he  will  have  it  in  his  power  to  clear  a  ditch 
however  broad ;  and  1  understand  this  is  the  way  in  which 
the  Essex  hunters  are  trained  to  get  across  that  deeply-ditch- 
ed country. 

It  may  be  said,  that  when  ahorse  is  creeping,  hounds  are 
getting  away  from  him.  This,  I  admit,  would  be  the  case 
were  he  to  creep  at  all  sorts  of  fences';  but  it  is  only  at  such 


212  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

as  are  not  to  be  leaped  flying,  without  distress  to  himself 
and  danger  to  his  rider,  that  such  a  method  of  fencing  is  to 
be  recommended.  It  must  be  recollected,  that  when  a  horse 
is  creeping,  he  is  getting  a  puff  at  the  same  time,  which 
will  enable  his  rider  to  take  a  liberty  with  him,  which  he 
could  not  otherwise  have  done,  by  putting  him  along  merrily 
over  the  next  field. 

When  horses  are  perfect  at  their  business,  and  time  will 
allow,  they  cannot  be  ridden  too  slow  at  most  sorts  offences, 
as  the  shock  to  the  frame  in  alighting  on  the  ground  must 
be,  in  great  measure,  proportioned  to  the  velocity  with  which 
they  go  at  them.  There  is,  however,  a  just  mean  to  be  ob- 
served, and  a  good  deal  of  judgment  to  be  used  at  some 
fences.  For  instance,  when  riding  at  stiles,  little  more  is  to 
be  done  than  giving  a  hunter  to  understand  that  he  is  to  go 
at  them,  and  if  'the  puff'  is  not  out  of  him,  and  he  is  a 
good  timber  leaper,  they  are  nearly  as  safe  as  any  other  stiff 
fences  that  a  man  rides  at — provided,  I  should  observe, 
there  are  no  awkward  foot  bridges  or  planks  on  either  side 
of  them.  At  gates  a  different  method  of  riding  is  necessa- 
ry ;  a  horse  should  always  be  put  briskly  at  a  gate,  for  two 
reasons — one,  because  it  distinguishes  between  riding  at  it 
with  the  intention  of  leaping  it,  and  going  up  to  it  to  open 
it;  and  the  other,  because,  if  he  do  not  clear  it,  he  is  more 
likely  to  break  it.  I  remember  seeing  a  celebrated  hard 
rider,  who  hunts  his  own  hounds,  have  a  fall  over  one  gate 
and  break  two  more  in  the  course  of  the  same  run,  and  [ 
was  convinced  that  all  the  mistakes  were  to  be  attributed  to 
the  quiet  manner  in  which  he  rode  at  them.  His  horse  did 
not  appear  to  be  satisfied  whether  he  were  to  go  at  them  or 
not,  till  he  came  close  to  them,  and  then  he  could  not  com- 
mand them  with  more  than  fourteen  stone  on  his  back. 
When  riding  at  park  paling,  or  any  other  fence  that  is  not 
familiar  to  him,  and  therefore  in  some  degree  appalling,  a 
considerable  share  of  resolution  should  be  displayed  by  the 
rider  to  induce  his  horse  to  face  it.  He  should  take  fast 
hold  of  his  head,  ramming  his  spurs  well  into  him,  at  the 
same  time  giving  him  a  stroke  or  two  down  the  shoul- 
ders with  his  whip,  as  much  as  to  say,  'it  is  no  use  to  re- 
fuse.' 

I  am  an  advocate  for   riding   rather  fast  at  most  timber 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  213 

fences,  as  being  less  dangerous  to  the  rider  in  case  of  a  fall. 
As  to  myself,  I  have,  of  course,  had  many  falls  over  timber, 
but  I  never  had  a  horse  fall  on  me,  which  I  attribute  to  gen- 
erally riding  briskly  at  it.  In  doing  so,  if  a  horse  hit  it  so 
as  to  bring  him  down,  his  rider  gets  what  is  called  'a  purl,' 
but  nine  times  out  of  ten  he  is  thrown  clear  of  his  horse. 
On  the  other  hand,  when  riding  slow  at  it,  if  the  horse  is 
suffered  to  stop  and  half  refuse  it  (if  I  may  be  allowed  such 
an  expression),  the  odds  are  much  in  favor  of  his  quietly 
landing  his  rider  on  the  other  side,  and  then  quietly  fall- 
ing upon  him  and  perhaps  giving  him  his  quietus  for 
ever. 

Taking  the  aggregate  of  countries,  I  will  be  bold  to 
assert,  that  one  half  the  accidents  in  riding  to  hounds  are 
to  be  attributed  to  some  awkwardness  'in  the  rider ;  and  in 
some  particular  ones  which  I  could  name,  it  is  next  to  mir- 
aculous that  they  do  not  more  frequently  occur.  A  short  time 
since  I  heard  that  a  well-known  owner  of  a  horse-reposit- 
ory in  the  metropolis  had  had  a  dreadful  fall  over  a  stile 
with  the  Hatfield  hounds,  and  there  was  little  hope  of  his 
recovery.  '  My  life  for  it,'  said  I,  '  that  was  some  awkward 
trick  or  other  !'  Upon  inquiry,  I  found  it  was  occasioned 
thus  :  — Forgetting  old  Dick  Knight's  advice  to  My  Lord 
Bpencer,  he  rode  up  to  the  stile  to  see  how  he  liked  it,  and 
in  the  act  of  '  craning'  to  peep  at  the  other  side  of  it,  his 
epurs  ran  into  his  horse:  the  horse  made  a  spring,  chuck- 
ed his  rider  over  the  stile,  and  then  tumbled  on  the  top  of 
him. 

Now  had  this  good  citizen  lost  his  life  by  this  pantomimic 
exhibition,  and  I  had  been  the  foreman  of  his  inquest,  do 
not  fora  moment  imagine  that  to  either  horses,  hounds,  or 
hunting,  should  this  melancholy  catastrophe  have  been  at- 
tributed. No :  there  should  have  been  no  '  Accidental 
Death' — no  deodand  on  the  horse — for  I  should  have  de- 
picted it  as  one  of  the  clearest  and  best-defined  cases  of '  fe- 
lo  de  se.'  Had  he  ridden  his  horse  like  a  workman  at  the 
stile,  all,  no  doubt,  would  have  been  well,  and  he  might 
have  amused  himself  with  looking  at  it  some  other 
time. 

My  experience  has  taught  me  that  many  falls  over  tim- 
ber arise  from  horses  not  having  a  catch  to  their  shoes.  I 


214  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

have  for  many  years  insisted  on'the  necessity  of  the  outer 
heel  of  the  fore,  as  well  as  the  hinder,  shoes  being  turned 
up  for  hunters  that  are  to  be  ridden  over  a  country  ;  for  if 
a  horse  stops  at  a  fence  of  this  description,  and  his  legs  all 
get  together  under  his  fore  parts,  his  power  of  springing 
from  the  ground  is  destroyed.  As  to  the  injury  which  many 
people  apprehend  from  the  fore  feet  not  having  in  this  case 
an  equal  bearing  on  the  ground,  I  confess  I  was  never  able 
to  trace  any  to  this  cause,  with  horses  that  have  been  pro- 
perly shod  in  other  respects;  for  during  the  winter  months, 
when  either  on  the  road  or  in  the  field,  the  '  turned-up'  heel, 
as  it  is  called,  will  always  sufficiently  indent  the  ground  to 
produce  an  equal  bearing  to  the  foot.  With  respect  to  the 
danger  of  a  horse  over-reaching,  and  catching  the  heel  of 
the  fore  shoe  in  the  inner  edge  of  the  hinder  one,  it  is  entire- 
ly to  be  obviated  by  having  that  edge  bevilled  down,  and 
made  blunt,  as  I  have  before  directed.  Without  this  pre- 
caution, accidents  of  this  nature  have  occurred;  and  in  a 
a  particular  instance  in  Surry,  a  few  years  ago,  the  shoes 
were  obliged  to  be  taken  off  the  horse  of  a  gentleman's 
huntsman,  by  a  blacksmith,  before  he  could  be  released 
from  his  perilous  situation.  Fortunately,  his  rider  escaped 
injury:  but  such  falls  must  be  doubly  hazardous  from  the 
suddenness  with  which  the  animal  must  come  down. 

The  advantage  of  what  is  called  '  a  catch'  to  the  outside 
heel  is  very  great  in  riding  at  timber,  and  most  particularly 
so  at  stiles  on  greasy  foot-paths — sometimes  rendered  doub- 
ly so  by  a  frosty  morning  succeeded  by  a  mid-day  sun. 
Horses  will  often  make  a  pause  at  common  stiles ;  but  if 
there  happen  to  be  a  foot-bridge  on  either  side  of  them,  they 
are  still  more  apt  to  do  so,  and,  for  the  reasons  I  have  be- 
fore given,  falls  are  too  often  the  consequence. 

Putting  leaping  out  of  the  question,  with  some  horses  a 
catch  to  all  the  four  shoes  is  of  great  advantage  in  gal  lop- 
ing acioss  a  wet  country.  None  but  those  who.like  myself,  have 
been  accustomed  to  ride  all  sorts  of  horses  with  hounds, 
know  what  difference  there  is  in  the  firmness  with  which 
some  of  them  take  hold  of  the  ground,  in  all  their  paces, 
when  compared  with  others.  Some  have  what  grooms  call 
a  slathering  way  of  going,'  which  is  tiresome  to  themseves, 
as  well  as  most  unpleasant  to  their  rider;  and  to  them  such 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  215 

a  catch  to  the  shoe  is  almost  necessary,  to  make  them  eith- 
er safe  or  agreeable,  setting  fencing,  as  I  observed,  quite  out 
of  the  question.  I  remember  a  few  years  since  going  to 
look  at  a  horse  in  Worcestershire,  that  had  been  winning 
some  hunters  stakes  in  a  canter,  and  which  was  recommen- 
ded to  me  as  likely  to  make  a  first-rate  Leicestershire  hun- 
ter. On  trying  him  I  found  he  slipped  about  in  his  slow 
paces  to  such  a  degree  that  I  immediately  dismounted  him, 
and  gave  up  all  thought  of  purchasing  him.  This  partly 
arose  from  too  long  a  stride,  and  partly  from  a  peculiar 
method  of  putting  down  the  foot,  from  the  shoulder. 

Exclusive  of  brooks  and  timber,  there  is  another  sort  of 
fence  that  should  be  ridden  •  quickly,  and  that  is,  a  bushy 
or  '  blackbird'  fence,  as  it  is  called,  being  a  liv%  white-thorn, 
hedge,  not  plashed,  but  with  a  strong  suspicion  of  a  wide 
ditch  on  the  other  side,  and  'no  time  allowed,'  as  the  coach- 
men say,  for  looking  at  it.  This  is  termed  '  swishing  at  a 
rasper ;'  and  the  only  chance  a  man  has  of  getting  a  ho'rse 
to  extend  himself  sufficiently  over  it  all,  and  to, 'come  well 
into  the  next  field,'  is  to  put  him  three-parts-speed  at  it, 'and 
trust  to  the  momentum  for  getting  over  it.  It  was  precisely 
at  a  fence  of  this  description  that  I  witnessed  the  accident 
two  years  ago  to  Mr.  Osbaldeston  in  Leicestershire.  The 
horse  he  rode  (Cervantes)  was  a  particular  high  leaper,  but 
apt  to  drop  short  on  the  other  side,  which  was  the  case  in 
this  instance,  and  where  the  momentum  was  more  particu- 
larly rendered  necessary- 

I  never  see  the  word  '  momentum  '  but  it  brings  to  my 
recollection  an  anecdote  of  an  old  friend  of  mine — a  Fel- 
low of  a  college,  and  a  good  fellow  too — who  was  used  to 
amuse  me  much  by  talking  philosophically  and  mathematical- 
ly on  riding  to  hounds — the  words  momentum  visvirida  and 
impetus,  being  for  ever  on  his  tongue.  With  the  nerves  of 
a  bull-dog,  and  no  mean  opinion  of  his  prowess,  he  was  in 
thei habit  of  purchasing  horses,  which,  from  natural  or  ac- 
quired defects,  had  failed  in  making  hunters  in  the  hands  of 
others.  His  idea  was,  that  if  Nature  had  unfortunately  in- 
tended such  brutes  to  carry  themselves  in  all  forms  but  the 
right,  that  intention  could  be  obviated  by  the  means  of  me- 
chanical force.  To  effect  this,  all  sorts  of  trappings  were 
resorted  to;  and  it  was  really  alarming  to  men  with  any 


216  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

nerves  at  all  to  see  him  sailing  across  a  country  with  the 
momentum  visvivida,  and  impetus,  all  in  full  operation,  on 
horses  with  mouths,  like  the  heart  of  oak,  but  with  their 
heads  confined  with  a  strong  cavesson-martingal.  On  one 
occasion  a  most  ludicrous  accident  occurred.  This  gentle- 
man was  out  with  the  Duke  of  Beaufort's  hounds  in  Oxford- 
shire on  a  horse  thus  accoutred,  when  the  cavession  he  was 
riding  in  fortunately  gave  way.  As  may  be  expected,  hav- 
ing no  further  power  over  the  brute,  away  went  the  philoso- 
pher, like  a  ship  at  sea  without  a  rudder,  and,  as  ill  luck 
would  have  it,  the  momentum,  the  vis  vivida  and  the  impetus 
all  formed  their  nucleus  in  the  person  of  an  unfortunate 
butcher  on  his  pony,  who  was  going  quietly  along  a  road; 
and  the  two  fiders  and  their  horses  were  laid  prostrate  on 
the  ground.  The  breath,  as  may  be  supposed,  was  knocked 
out  of  each ;  but  the  butcher  first  came  to  himself,  and,  look- 
ing at  his  opponent,  whom  he  had  not  previously  seen,  was 
heard  to  sigh  out  in  the  true  language  of  a  slaughter-house, 
'  D — n  your  eyes — but  you've  killed  me,  by  G — d  !' 

During  my  visit  to  Surrey,  I  saw  some  horses  tackled 
in  curious  ways — in  ways  which  I  had  never  before  seen, 
and  which  would  preclude  the  possibility  of  their  getting 
across  a  country,  taking  all  kind  of  fences  as  they  come. 
In  two  instances,  I  observed  the  head  confined  to  the  saddle 
by  bearing-reins,  in  the  same  manner  as  a  postillion  some- 
times bears  up  the  horse  he  rides,  to  save  himself  the  trou- 
ble of  holding  up  his  head.  One  of  these  gentlemen  I  had 
never  seen  before  ;  but  the  -other  was  the  well-known  Mr. 
Dickenson,  a  sportsman  of  some  standing  in  Surrey,  and  an 
occasional  performer  in  Leicestershire. 

Much  of  the  pleasure  and  safety  of  the  rider  depends  on 
the  position  of  the  horse's  head  ;  and  I  have  good  reason 
to  think  that  the  great  importance  of  the  head  being  at  lib- 
erty in  enabling  a  horse  to  struggle  out  of  a  scrape,  is  not 
sufficiently  known  or  considered  of,  but  it  is  obvious  to  any 
one  who  will  bestow  upon  it  a  few  minutes'  reflection,  or 
who  will  watch  the  motions  of  the  animal  in  a  state  of  na- 
ture- A  plank  placed  in  equilibrium  cannot  rise  at  one  end 
till  it  sinks  at  the  other;  neither  can  a  horse  get  his  hinder 
parts  over  a  very  high  fence  when  his  head  is  in  the  air. 
If  he  carries  it  too  low,  he  is  equally  unpleasant,  but  less' 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  217 

dangerous.     To  carry  it  where  it  should   bs   must   depend 
on  the  mould  he  is  cast  in. 

What  has  been  said  of  good  writing  may  be  applied  to 
good  riding — '  it  is  a  fine  art,  and  known  only  to  few ' 

'  The  chosen  few  alone  the  sport  enjoy.' 

Did  this  assertion  require  proof,  it  would  soon  be  found, 
not  only  on  the  race-course,  but  in  the  field.  Look  at  the 
small  number  of  first-rate  riders  of  a  race,. and  the  cotnpar- 
itively  small  list  of  the  elite  when  hounds  run  hard  !  '  How 
are  you,  Bruen?'  said  Lindo  one  morning  in  my  presence, 
before  three  hundred  sportsmen  assembled  at  a  favorite  cov- 
ert in  Leicestershire.  '  Never,  better  !'  replied  Bruen*  :  'a 
very  large  field  to-day  !!'—' So  much  the  better!1  said  Lin- 
do:  'only  let 'em  go,  and  it  will  soon  be  small  enouffh  !' 
These  words  savored  a  little  of  that  •  saucy  passion  '  to 
which  Fielding  has  given  a  name;  but  which  generally 
accompanies  a  conscious  pre-eminence  over  other  men  •  and 
if  ever  to  be  allowed  in  the  field,  must  be  excusable  in  'such 
riders  as  Mr.  Lindo. 

Having  mentioned  the  name  of  Lindo,  the  seat  on  the 
horse  presents  itself  to  my  mind.  Most  persons  are  ac- 
quainted with  his;  for  if  they  have  not  seen  him  ride  over 
a  country  in  the  morning,  they  have  seen  him  'going  a  slap- 
ping pace'  on  a  snuff-box  in  the  evening.  The  artist  has 
hit  him  off  to  a  nicety ;  and  every  man  who  is  a  judge  must 
allow  that  he  looks  like  a  workman.  He  has  got  his  horse 
fast  by  the  head  with  a  firm  and  steady  hand,  and,  at  the 
pace  he  is  supposed  to  be  going,  he  must  receive  no  small 
advantage  from  the  assistance  he  is  giving  him,  by  stand- 
ing up  in  hvis  stirrups,  and  thereby  throwing  his  weight  on 
that  part  of  his  horse's  body  most  able  to  heart  it. 

With  respect  to  the  general  propriety  of  standing  up  in 
the  stirrups  when  hounds  run  hard,  circumstances  must  be 
consulted.  With  men  Like  Lindo— born  to  ride— no  doubt 
can  arise  as  to  the  advantage  of  it ;  but  with  heavy,  long- 
legged  riders,  it  is  better  to  sit  quietly  down  in  the  saddle, 

*  Colonel  Bruen,  M.  P.forCarlow,  one  of  the  hardest  riders  of  his 
ay,  and  one  of  the  leading  characters  on  the  Irish  turf, 
VOL.  11.  19 


218  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

particularly  over  ridge  and  furrow,  when  it  would  be  next  to 
impossible  for  them  to  be  quite  steady  in  their  stirrups.  It 
is  my  decided  opinion,  however,  that  a  hunter's  head  should 
never  be  loose  but  that  over  all  sorts  of  ground  when  going 
a  good  pace  he  should  have  some  support  from  the  hand. 

None  but  those  who  have  had  much  experience  in  riding 
to  hounds  know  how  much  a  horse  is  to  be  recovered  in 
the  middle  of  a  run  by  a  little  good  management.  Let  a 
hunter  be  never  so  fit  to  go,  it  is  possible  to  blow  him  ;  and 
when  he  has  been  going  for  some  time  in  deep  ground,  his 
wind  naturally  fails  him  to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree,  and 
he  becomes  weak.  If  his  rider  can  get  him  out  of  this  deep 
ground,  even  if  he  goes  a  little  out  of  his  line  for  it,  on  to 
some  that  is  quite  sound,  and,  standing  up  in  his  stirrups, 
will  take  a  good  pull  at  his  head,  he  will  recover  himself 
wonderfully  in  a  few  hundred  yards,  although  he  may  not 
be  allowed  to  slacken  his  pace  at  all.  This  also  proves  be- 
yond all  doubt  the  good  effect  of  holding  a  horse  together 
with  a  firm  and  steady  hand. 

The  most  masterly  instance  of  the  use  of  a  good  head  in 
assisting  a  horse  over  a  country,  in  the  way  which  I  have 
been  describing,  that  ever  came  under  my  observation,  was 
in  that  accomplished  horseman,  Sir  Henry  Peyton.  We 
were  running  a  fox  very  hard  with  Sir  Thomas  Mostyn's 
hounds,  and  we  had  a  deep  fallow  field  to  encounter.  Sir 
Henry  espied  a  dry  ditch  running  parallel  with  it ;  and  not 
regarding  a  few  thorns  and  brambles,  he  rode  up  it,  and 
when  he  came  to  the  top  of  the  field,  his  horse  had  an  evi- 
dent advantage  over  the  rest.  This  might  be  called  a  sec- 
ond 'trick.' 

The  greatest  trial  of  nerve,  next  to  being  shot  at  is  put- 
ting a  horse  that  is  blown  at  stiff  and  high  timber.  His  ri- 
der is  not  only  likely  to  get  a  fall,  but  a  fall  of  the  worst 
description,  as  it  is  ten  to  one  but  the  horse  not  only  tum- 
bles upon  him,  from  not  having  the  power  to  rise  [perhaps 
half  the  height  of  the  fence],  but  that  he  lies  upon  him 
when  he  is  down.  I  remember  once  asking  a  huntsman 
how  his  horse  carried  him — suspecting  him  to  be  one  of  the 
wrong  sort — when  he  answered,  that  he  was  a  dunghill 
brute,  and  not  content  with  tumbling  him  down,  '  but,' 
added  he,  '  he  lies  on  me  for  half  an  hour  when  he 
is  down.1 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  219 

A  little  management,  however,  is  useful  in  all  these  mat- 
ters. The  mere  act  of  turning  a  hunter  around,  if  he  ap- 
appears  much  distressed  for  wind,  before  we  put  him  at  a 
fence,  will  relieve  him  greatly,  and  generally  enable  him  to 
clear  it,  if  he  is  of  the  right  sort  to  come  again. 

Large  fences  take  a  great  deal  out  of  a  hunter,  and  con- 
sequently tend  to  stop  him;  but  it  is  the  pace  that  kills.'  A 
celebrated  Meltonian -wrote  to  his  father  a  few  days  since, 
and  this  was  part  of  his  epistle: — '  We  had  a  quick  thing 
last  week,  eight  miles,point  blank,  in  twenty-six  minutes  !  If  I 
had  not  had  a  second  horse  posted  [luckily]  halfway,  I  could 
not  have  seen  it.'  So  much  for  pace !  Concluding  that  the 
run  was  not  quite  straight,  it  was  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles 
in  the  hour  !  This  reminds  me  of  an  amusing  anecdote. 

A  great  man  in  Leicestershire  sold  a  horse  to  a  little 
man,  assuring  him  that  he  was  a  very  good  hunter.  The 
little  man,  however,  soon  found  out  that  he  was  a  very  bad 
hunter,  and  remonstrated  with  the  great  man  on  the  subject. 
'  You  assured  me,'  said1  he,  '  this  was  as  good  a  horse  as 
you  ever  posssessed  in  your  life.' — '  Did  I  ?'  replied  the 
great  man  :  '  1  think,  Sir,  you  must  be  mistaken.'  On  his  be- 
ing re-assured  that  those  were  his  precise  words,  he  exclaim- 
ed, '  Oh  ?  now,  Sir,  I  recollect  all  about  it.  I  told  you  he 
was  a  very  good  hunter  ;  and  so  he  is  if  you  let  him  go  his 
own  pace;  but  when  I  wanted  him  to  go  mine,  he  did  not 
exactly  suit  me.'  This  is  a  common  case.  Depend  upon 
it,  though  time  is  slow,  it  is  the  pace  that  kills. 

Accounts  of  no  less  than  three  different  persons  having 
met  with  their  deaths  in  hunting,  all  in  one  day,  have  recent- 
ly been  presented  to  the  public  view  :  the  first  with  the 
Oakley,  the  second  with  Lord  Darlington's  and  the  third 
with  the  Hurworth  fox-hounds*;  and  what  is  as  singular  as  it 

*  John  Edwards,  Esq.  of  Silsoe,  Bedfordshire,  was  out  with  the 
Oakley  hounds,  when,  in  attempting  to  cross  a  ford  at  a  place  called 
Newton,  in  Buckinghamshire,  nearly  opposite  to  Brayfield  House, 
the  seat  of  Major  Farrer,  and  which  had  previously  been  passed  by 
many  of  the  sportsmen  in  perfect  safety,  he,  with  several  other  gen- 
tlemen who  were  not  acquainted  with  the  proper  course  they  ought  to 
have  followed,  took  a  wrong  direction,  when  all  of  them  flounced 


220  RIDING    TO    HOUND:?. 

is  lamentable,  each  was  occasioned  by  a  noble  effort  to  get 
to  hounds,  regardless  of  the  appalling  obstacle  of  a  danger- 
ous and  devouring  element,  in  which  these  gallant  sports- 
men all  found  a  watery  grave.  To  such  a  pitch,  however, 
has  the  system  of  riding  to  hounds  now  arrived,  tliat  the 
chances  of  life  and  death  are  but  a  feather  in  the  scale  when 
opposed  to  the  determination  of  a  modern  fox-hunter  'to 
see  the  thing,'  and  '  to  be  in  a  oood  place.' 

It  is  too  true  that  without  danger  there  is  no  glory.  Nev- 
ertheless, much  as  I  may  be  an  advocate  for  making  every 
possible  effort  to  get  to  hounds,  yet  we  should  not  altogeth- 
er despise  the  old  saving  clause — that,  sometimes,  discretion 
is  the  better  part  of  valor;  for  to  say  nothing  of  the  indi- 
vidual who  loses  his  life,  the  heart-rending  bewailings  of 
those  who  have  to  lament  the  loss  of  it,  in  a  parent,  husband, 
brother,  orson, are  much  too  great  to  be  thus  rashly  hazarded 
for  the  mere  gratification  of  a  passion,  however  noble  it 
may  be,  when  attended  with  such  [probable]  fearful  conse- 
quences. In  one  case  now  alluded  to,  a  father  perishes  in 

headlong  into  deep  water.  Mr  E.  who  was  on  a  very  spirited  horse, 
unhappily  lost  his  seat,  but  still  kept  fast  hold  of  the  bridle;  and  it  is 
supposed,  in  his  exertion  to  save  himself,  that  the  animal,  whilst  strug- 
gling and  plunging  in  the  water,  struck  him  on  the  head  with  his 
fore  feet  which  stunned  him  through  which  accident  he  sank,  and 
was  drowned.  His  companions  wiih  great  difficulty  escaped  with 
their  lives,  and  all  the  horses  were  rescued.— Mr.  Walbram.of  Baid- 
ersby,  was  crossing  the  river  Ure  with  Lord  Darlington's  hounds, 
near  Stainley,  when,  unable  to  stem  the  force  of  the  current,  he  was 
carried  out  of  his  depth  and  drowned.  His  son  had  nearly  shar- 
ed the  same  fate  in  endeavoring  to  save  his  father. — The  Rev.  Mar- 
maduke  Theakston.  in  the  ardor  of  the  chase  with  the  Hurworth 
hounds,  was  tempted  to  cross  the  river  Tees  at  a  ford  near  Worsall. 
The  water  was  deeper  than  usual,  owing  to  previous  rains  and  he  un- 
fortunately mistook  the  ford.  His  horse  a  powerful  and  spirited  ani- 
mal, swam  with  him  into  the  middle  of  the  river,  when,  getting  im- 
patient he  reared  and  threw  his  rider  backwards.  Mr.  Theakston 
was  then  observed  to  swim  fapparently  strong  and  well),  and  several 
gentlemen  who  watched  him  with  extreme  anxiety  had  hopes  he 
would  reach  the  shore  ;  butall  at  once,  when  within  five  yards  of  it  he 
sank  and  never  rose  a?ain. 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  xi'-il 

the  presence  of  his  son  :  in  another,  a  husband  leaves  a  wid- 
ow with  eight  children,  and  pregnant  with  the  ninth:  and 
the  third  appears  to  have  been  an  only  child,  born  to  all  the 
pleasures  of  life,  and  highly  qualified  for  the  enjoyment  of 
them. 

Much,  I  repeat,  as  I  admire  the  man  who  rides  gallantly 
across  a  country,  yet  it  is  useless  to  attempt  impossibilities  ; 
and  among  these  I  have  no  hesitation  in  generally  classing 
the  getting  across  deep  and  rapid  streams,  with  a  horse  pre- 
haps  blown  at  the  time,  unless  the  rider  be  not  only  an  ex- 
pert swimmer,  but  also  unless  he  be  in  the  habit  of  swimming 
horses, and, swimming  with  his  clothes  on.  Mr.  Theakston.it  is 
evident,  was  a  swimmer;  but  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  weight  of  his  clothes  sank  him  at  last;  and  in  the  mo- 
ment of  alarm,  he  had  not  the  presence  of  mind  to  relieve  him- 
self by  floating  on  his  back,  or  by  any  of  those  expedients 
which  expert  swimmers  have  recourse  to  when  they  find 
themselves  exhausted.  Perhaps  however,  situated  as  he 
was,  these  expedients  would  not  have  availed  him ;  for,  ta- 
king into  consideration  that  the  clothes  a  man  wears  when 
hunting  cannot  be  estimated  at  less  than  ten  pounds  when 
dry,  it  may  be  fairly  concluded  that  when  wet,  with  the  ad- 
dition of  water  in  the  boots,  pockets,  &c.,  this  weight  must 
be  more  than  doubled.  Conceive,  then,  a  man  swimming, 
perhaps  in  dead  water,  with  more  than  twenty-four  pounds 
dead  weight  hanging  about  him,  all  verging  to  the  bot- 
tom, and  opposing  his  efforts  to  sustain  himself  on  the  sur- 
face ! 

On  reading  this  calamitous  account  over  again,  I  see 
much  reason  \.o  suppose  that  the  free  use  of  the  horse's  head 
when  in  difficulty,  and  which  I  have  already  so  much  dwelt 
upon,  was  denied  to  him  on  this  fatal  instance;  and  to  it, 
perhaps,  may  the  melancholy  catastrophe  be  attributed. 
•  His  horse,'  says  the  writer  of  the  paragraph  in  the  Hull 
advertiser,  '  a  spirited  and  powerful  animal,  swam  with  him 
into  the  middle  of  the  river,  when  getting  impatient,  he 
reared  and  threw  his  rider  backward.'  Now  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe,  that  had  Mr.  Theakston  left  the  horse  to 
himself,  holding  on  by  the  mane  and  only  directing  his 
course  when  necessary  with  the  snaffle  rein,  he  would  have 
borne  him  in  safety  across  the  stream. 

VOL.    II.  19* 


222 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 


I  speak  from  practical  obvservation  on  this  subject.  When 
at  a  watering-place  in  Wales,  I  was  in  the  habit  of  having 
ray  horse  swum  in  the  sea  by  a  man  who  was  in  the  constant 
practice  of  swimming  them  for  a  very  trifling  consideration. 
He  was  himself  a  very  expert  swimmer,  and  regularly  at- 
tended the  bathing  machines,  From  this  man  I  learnt,  that 
there  were  only  three  things  to  be  observed  in  swimming 
a  horse — first,  to  give  him  free  use  of  his  head:  secondly, 
to  hold  on  by  the  mane ;  and,  lastly,  taking  the  feet  out  of  ^he 
.stirrups,  to  lean  the  body  obliquely  forward  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, which  will  cause  the  ivater  to  get  under  it  and  float 
it,  and  thereby  diminish  the  weight  of  it  on  the  horse.  It 
was  the  opinion  of  this  person,  that  a  horse  would  swim 
nearly  as  far  uilh  a  man  on  his  back,  who  was  thus  expert 
at  the  management  of  him,  as  he  would  witnout  him. 

There  is  a  small  arm  of  the  sea,  about  a  mile  wide  at 
high  water,  which  divides  the  northern  and  southern  prin- 
cipalities of  Wales,  and  over  which  is  a  horse  ferry.  A 
Mr.  Evans,  a  gentleman  of  some  property  in  that  neighbor- 
hood, was  crossing  it  a  few  years  ago  as  the  tide  was  run- 
ning out  with  great  rapidity,  when  his  horse  leaped  over- 
board, and  was  carried  out  to  sea,  over  the  bar.  Mr.  E. 
never  expected  to  see  him  again ;  but  he  recovered  the 
shore  between  that  place  and  the  village  of  Towyn  in  Mer- 
ionethshire, after  swimming  more  than  two  miles.  Another 
gentleman  swam  a  small  Welsh  galloway  across  this  ferry 
with  perfect  safety  ;  and  happening  to  be  in  that  country  at 
the  time,  I  saw  him  in  half  an  hour  after  he  had  done  it. 
So  much  for  the  power  of  horses  in  water ! 

When  I  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  I  had  a  nar- 
row escape  from  being  drowned  with  Mr.  Leech's  hounds. 
The  hounds  crossed  the  river  Dee— natu rally  a  very  rapid 
river,  but  then  increased  by  the  rains.  Sir  Watkin  Wynn, 
who  [as  well  as  his  two  brothers]  is  like  a  duck  in  the  wa- 
ter, went  first,  and  was  followed  by  about  six  out  of  the 
field.  '  Half  venturing,  half  shrinking,'  1  went  a  little  way 
into  the  stream,  and  came  back  again.  Seeing  the  hounds 
hitting  off  their  fox  on  the  other  side,  I  made  a  second  at- 
tempt ;  and  being  mounted  on  a  mare  of  Sir  Watkin's,  call- 
ed Thetis,  and  trusting  to  her  genii  to  preserve  me,  I  made 
a  second  attempt,  and  was  carried  down  the  stream  amongst 


RIDING    TO    HOUNDS.  223 

some  huge  stones.  Not  being  able  to  swim,  I  gave  myself 
up  for  lost;  but  the  resolution  of  the  mare,  and  my  holding 
on  by  the  mane,  enabled  her  to  regain  the  opposite  bank, 
and  I  have  never  tried  such  an  aquatic  excursion  since.  A 
man  may  attempt  the  Hellespont  for  a  woman  ;  but,  on  cool- 
er reflection,  he  is  scarcely  justified  in  running  such  risks 
of  his  life  for  a  fox. 


The  following  excellent  remarks  on  '  anticipating  a 
check,  and  making  a  judicious  cast  [when  casting  is  necessa- 
ry]— the  most  useful  knowledge  in  fox-hunting' — are  from 
the  pen  of  John  Lockley,  Esq.,  one  of  the  first  sportsmen 
as  well  as  hardest  riders  of  his  day — the  result  of  up- 
wards of  thirty  years'  experience  in  the  best  countries*. 
They  were  communicated  by  NIMROD,  and  form  an  aptcon- 
clusion  to  his  admirable  Letters. 

'At  a  time  when  all  the  world  run  mad  about  fox-hunting, 
I  am  surprised  so  few  gentlemen  have  learned  to  enjoy  it 
rationally.  The  fashion  of  the  present  day  is  hard  riding  ; 
and  at  night,  when  over  the  convival  board,  their  only  plea- 
sure seems  to  be  in  relating  the  exploits  or  disasters  of  their 
own  or  their  friends'  horses  :  not  a  word  about  the  best  or 
worst  hound  in  the  pack  ;  or  any  idea  ever  started  to  ascer- 
tain whether  by  system  or  by  accident,  they  had  contrived  to 
carry  a  scent  twenty  miles  over  a  country  to  kill  a  fox; 
and  how  so  great  an  event  has  been  achieved,  few  modern 
sportsmen  can  with  any  degree  of  accuracy  relate. 

'  Many  years  ago,  I  recollect  a  gentleman  who  kept  ten 
horses  in  Leicestershire,  and  who  had  been  riding  near  me 
often  in  a  very  fine  run,  in  which  two  of  the  most  interest- 
ing and  beautiful  things  happened  that  ev$r  I  remember  to 

*  An  admirable  memoir  is  given  of  this  celebrated  Sportsman,  from 
the  pen  ofNiMnoD,  in  the  SPOKTINU  MAGZINE,  vol.  xv.  N,  S.  p.  409:  his 
obituary,  in  vol.  xxiii.  p.  420;  and  a  brief  notice  of  this  extraordinary 
man,  in  vol.  xxiv.  p.  105. 


224  RIDING    TO    HOUNDS. 

have  seen,  and  to  whom  I  remarked  them  when  the  run 
was  over.  '  Good  God,  Sir,'  said  he,  '  I  saw  nothing  of  it.' 
This  was  a  hard  rider,  who,  from  his  own  account,  saw 
nothing  while  riding  his  horse  as  hard  as  he  could  go,  and 
as  near  the  tail  of  the  hounds  as  he  could  possibly  get.  And 
how  should  he  ?  for  a  man  behind  the  hounds  cannot  be  a 
judge  of  what  is  going  on  in  front,  and  is  the  first  person 
(by  pressing  upon  them)  to  bring  them  to  a  check. 

'  A  good  sportsman  will  as  often  as  possible  ride  parallel 
with  the  pack,  not  after  them,  unless  by  short  turns  he  is 
obliged  to  do  otherwise ;  by  which  means  he  can  see  every- 
thing that  is  going  on,  and  anticipate  the  probable  cause  of 
hounds  coming  to  a  fault ;  and  I  believe  a  good  huntsman, 
and  a  minute  observer,  will  twice  out  of  three  times  discov- 
er the  object  in  the  line  of  hounds  that  caused  it,  and  as  soon 
as  he  suspects  it,  pull  up  his  horse;  for  instance,  a  church, 
a  village,  a  farm-house  team  at  plough,  men  at  work, 
sheep,  and  above  all  cattle,  are  the  things  most  likely  to 
impede  the  scent  (be  it  remembered,  that  the  breath  of  one 
cow  will  distract  hounds  more  than  an  hundred  sheep). 
When  any  of  these  objects  present  themselves  in  the  face  of 
hounds,  you  may  then  anticipate  a  stop,  and,  by  pulling  up 
your  horse,  and  observing  which  way  the  pack  inclined  be- 
fore the  check,  you  will  be  able  (without  casting)  to  hold 
them  to  the  right  or  left  accordingly. 

'  If  casting  is  necessary  you  should  be  directed  by  the  paceor 
degreeof  scent  whichyou  broughtto  thespot  wherethe  hounds 
threw  up:  if  you  came  quick,  and  your  hounds  are  not  blown 
(be  sure  to  attend  to  that),  you  make  a  quick  cast  in  the  direc- 
tion which  the  hounds  were  inclining,  by.  forming  a  small 

O  *        J 

circle  first,  and  a  larger  circle  afterwards  if  you  are  not  suc- 
cessful:  but  if  the  hounds  are  blown,  you  should  invaria- 
bly cast  them  quietlv,  and  hold  them  back  ;  for  when  hounds 
have  run  a  long  way  hard,  they  lose  their  noses  from  want 
of  wind,  and  run  beyond  the  scent,  especially  if  there  is 
water  in  their  view. 

'In  a  fair  country,  and  hounds  in  condition,  it  is  my  opin^ 
ion,  that  if  the  above  observations  could  be  carried  into  ef 
feet,  few  foxes  would  escape.  Patience  is  the  best  perfor 
mer  in  the  chase.  All  hounds  in  these  times  are  wel 
enough  bred  ;  and  all  hounds  have  power  enough  (if  judi- 
ciously directed)  to  kill  their  fox.' 


LIST     OF     NAMES 


Noblemen,  Gentlemen,  Masters  of  Hounds,  Huntsmen, 
Whippers-in,  <^e.  to  VOL.  i. 


Pase 

Pase 

Atkins  Christopher 

71 

Chute  Mr. 

90,  136 

Adderly  Mr. 

158 

Cope  Sir  John 

90 

An  son  Lord 

161 

Combe  Harvey 

94  146 

• 

Chichester  Sir  Arthur 

110 

Beckford  Mr. 
Beaufort  the  Duke  of 

19 
21,23 

Collier  Captain 
Colpoys  Admiral 

136 
136 

Barrow  Will, 

43 

Close  Captain 

136 

Bradley  Richard 

45 

Combe  Mr. 

144 

Best  Mr.  R. 

45 

Combe  t\1  r.  J. 

183 

Berkeley  Col. 

60 

Cradock  Mr. 

184 

Boycott  Mr. 

65 

Bolton  Mr. 
Burrett  Mr. 
Bruce  Lord 

70 
82 
100 

Drake  Mr.  John 
Dyer  Mr. 
Dehne  Mr.  G. 

33,  140 
69 
134 

Barring  Mr. 

134 

Dorchester  Lord 

142 

Butler  Mr.  George 

134 

Barret  Major 

135 

Evans  Mr. 

26 

Bridges  Captain 

137 

Edge  Mr. 

179 

BroadheadMr. 

140 

Edge  Mr.  John 

180 

Beecher  Mr. 

143 

Bretton  Billy 

159 

Ferrius  Lord 

17 

Burton  Dick 

184 

FowleRev.  Mr. 

105 

Ball  John 

184 

Farguharson  Mr. 

109 

Barry  Mr.  Smith 

185 

Fellowes  Newton 

112 

Burdett  Sir  Francis 

191 

Foster  Mr. 

130.  134 

Codrington  Mr. 

21,  26 

Frygatt  Mr.  John 

177 

Corbet  Mr. 
Canning  Mr.  Robert 

36,  47 
30,  52 

Goodale  Stephen 
Griffin  Mr. 

98 

33 

Cockran  Mr. 

67 

Gag*  Lord 

81 

Cator  Colonel 

81 

Greame  Mr. 

127 

226 


LIST    OF    NAMES. 


Page                                          « 

Page 

Greenwood  Captain 

134 

Maxse  Mr. 

179 

Gage  Hon.  William 

134 

Musters  John 

179 

Grosvenor  Mr.  R. 

168 

Goosey  Huntsman 

168 

Newnham  Mr. 

30 

Goodricke  Sir  H. 

169 

Newnham  Mr.  Bigland 

85 

Grant  Messrs. 

185 

Neverd  Wm. 

97,  103 

Nunes  Mr. 

137 

Harrison  Mr. 

32 

Nicholl  Mr. 

189 

Hawkes  John 

63 

Haigh  Mr. 

67 

Oldaker  Henry 

94 

Hobson  Mr. 

68 

Oldaker  Tom. 

147 

Harvey  Captain 

69 

Otaway  Sir  Loftus 

151 

Holt  Mr. 

69 

Osbaldeston  Mr. 

169 

Hooker  Dr. 

86 

Oldaker  Farmer 

184 

Hodson  Mr. 

88 

O'Neil  Mr. 

185 

Hedden  Wm. 

97 

Hemstead  Mr. 

106 

Peyton  Sir  Henry 

31,  140 

Horlock  John 

110 

Penn  Tom. 

33 

Heysham  Mr.                   133, 

134 

Porter  Mr.  Walsh 

64 

Holyoake  Mr. 

180 

Percivall  Mr. 

68 

Harbin  Mr. 

193 

Price  Captain 

134 

Hoste,  Sir  William 

136 

Payne  Phillip 

148 

Peel  Mr. 

161 

Incledon  Mr. 

110 

Plymouth  Lord 

183 

Peen  Tom 

188 

Jersev  Lord 

31 

Jolliffe  Colonel                   72 

,  76 

Roffey  Mr. 

74 

Jennings  J.  Mr. 

109 

Russell  Rev  John 

122 

Knivert  Wm. 

95 

Ridge  Major 
Rutland  Duke  of 

137 

168 

Knight  Messrs, 

134 

Ross  Captain 

185 

Knightly  Mr. 

156 

Kingscote  Mr.  H. 

163 

Smith  (Tom) 

15,  16 

Kinsore  Earl  of 

186 

Sefton  Lord 

17 

Smith  Loraine 

18 

Locklev  John 

45 

Siroud,  the  horse  dealer 

46 

Lloyd  Mr.  G. 

140 

Stubbs  Water  Esq. 

54 

Lloyd  Mr.  Mostyn 

140 

Skepwith  Sir  Gray 

64 

Lloyd  Edward 

140 

Stephen  Mr. 

11-2 

Lucy  Mr.  John 

154 

Smith  Mr. 

130,  136 

Lucy  Mr.  G. 

156 

Scott  Mr. 

134 

Leech  Mr. 

164 

Shirley  Mr. 

154 

Lambton  Ralph 

175 

Shaw  Mr. 

160 

Shawdon  Capt. 

167,  187 

Maynord  Mr. 

16 

Sebright  Tom 

174 

Mostin  Sir  Thomas    21,  23, 

139 

Stuart  Captain 

175 

Middleton  Lord                 60, 

155 

Smith  Mr.  J. 

182 

Morant  Edward  Gale 

61 

Meares  Mr. 

134 

Troy  etc  Rev.  Dr. 

111 

Murray  Mr.  David 

135 

Templer  Mr. 

119 

Marriott  Mr.                   175, 

176 

Taylor  Rev,  H. 

122 

LIST    OF    NAMES. 


227 


Villebois  Mr. 

Page 
125 

Willan  Mr.  John 

Page 
134 

Vernon  Lord 

159 

Wilkinson  Mr. 

135 

Vivian  Sir  Hussey 

189 

Westall  Bob 

145 

Wood  Jack 

154 

Wingfield  Tom 

15 

White  Mr.  John 

176 

Winniatt  Reginald  Mr.           64 

Wardle  Col. 

180 

Woodbridge  Mr.  E. 

72 

Watkins  Sir 

188 

Wyndham's  Colonel 
Ward  Mr. 

78 
92,  102,  103 

Wynn  William 
Wroughton  Mr. 

188 
106 

VOL. 

II. 

Page. 

Page 

Arden  Colonel 
Alvanley  Lord 
Anson  Lord 

83 
163,  166 
123 

Danby  Will 
Dick  (whipper-in) 
Dodsworth  Sir  E. 

139 
78 
130 

Boxall  Will 

7 

Dowbiggin  Capt. 

131 

Boycott  Mr. 

11 

FellowesMr. 

7 

Barrow  Will 

13 

Ford  Mr. 

45 

Brook  Sir  Richard 

45 

Finton  Mr. 

76 

Brook  Colonel 

45 

Flounders  Mr. 

116 

Bates  Ned 
Burrel  John 

50 

87 

Foljambe  Mr. 

175 

Beckwith  Mr. 
Beville  Captain 
Baird  Captain 

89 
95 
"160 

Graham  Sir  Belling 
Graham  Godfrey 
GleggMr. 

ham  12,19,163 
26 
45 

Baker  Mr. 

119 

Goodlake  Mr. 

80 

Bethel  Mr. 

131 

Goodricke  Mr. 

163 

Biddulph  Mr. 

165 

Gregson  Mr. 

114 

Bower  Mr.  John 

140 

Hav  Mr. 

5 

Cockhill  Mr. 

7 

Holland  Mr.  F. 

/ 

Campbell  Mr.  H. 

7 

Hill  Lord 

30 

Corbet  Mr.  Andrew 

15 

Head  Will 

46 

Coke  William 

45 

Hill  John 

41 

Carter  Mr. 

62 

Harland  Mr. 

84,  94 

Chapel  Jack 

162 

Hurt  Mr. 

95 

Chapman  Tommy 

113 

Hall  Mr. 

132 

Cleaveland  Lady 

155,  156 

Harewood  Lord 

161 

Hawke  Lord 

161 

Dews  Mr. 

7 

Healey  Major 

157 

Derry  Will 
Delamere  Lord 

56 
45 

Healev  Captain 
Hodgson  Mr.  T. 

157 
130 

Darlingtsn  Lord  67,  69,71,72,  158 
Davey,  Mr,                          55,  56 

Dundas  Captain                         87 

Hodgson  Tommy 
Hopeton  Lord 

153 
141 

Davison  John 

96 

Isham  Mr  H. 

56 

228 


LIST    OF    NAMES. 


Pa  ire 

Pace 

Isham  Mr.  V. 

56 

Puleston  Sir  Richard 

19,  35 

Isled  Mr.  A. 

57 

Poole  Mr.Dr. 

45 

Parsons  Mr. 

57 

Jackson  Mr. 

130 

Potterton  Mr. 

58 

Price  .Will 

7"> 

Kynaston  Mr. 

41 

Payne  Mr. 

164 

Kenneyday  Hon. 

80 

' 

Risdale  Mr. 

61 

Lon?  Will 

3 

Radcliffe  Mr. 

80 

Lee  Mr. 

4 

Richards  Jack 

161 

Lyster  Mr.  H. 

34,40 

Russell  Mr. 

100 

Leech  William  Esq. 

47 

Rutland  duke  of 

164 

Lloyd  William 

41 

Larhbton  Mr.                85, 

86,  97 

Sheldon  Mr. 

7 

Leeds  Duke  of 

1-21 

Staples  Will 

15,  25 

Legard  Mr.  D. 

138 

Smythe  Sir  Edward 

31 

Legard  Mr.  G. 

140 

Smythe  Owen 

41 

Lonsdale  Lord 

165 

Smith  Tom, 

56 

Svkes  Sir  Tatton 

63 

Meyrick  Mr. 

4,57 

Shafto  Mr.  D. 

8§ 

Moray  Major 

11 

Shafto  Mr.  John 

98 

Matthews  Mr.  S. 

1-2 

Sebright  Tom 

108 

Mytton  Mr. 

1C,  18 

Smith  Mr.  Loraine 

123 

Montague  Mr.  Henry 

27 

Sterans  Jack 

160 

Mainwaring  Sir  Ha'rry 

43 

Musters  Mr.  John 

52,  53 

Tomkinson  James 

45 

Milbanke  Lady  Augusta 

76,  157 

Trotter  Dr. 

90 

Milbanke  Mr. 

79 

Thompson  Mr. 

139 

Monson  Rev.  John 

83 

Tomkinson  Major 

45 

Macdonald  Mr. 

133 

Towers  Colonel 

140 

Maher  Mr. 

164 

Trotter  Mr. 

87 

Markham  Mr. 

169 

Maude  Mr.  T. 

160 

Vane  Lady  Arabella 

76,   157 

Maxse  Mr. 

160 

Medford  Mr. 

140 

Wood  Jack 

7 

Milbanke  Mr.  M. 

151 

Whitmore  Mr. 

11 

Mostyn  Sir  Ed. 

164 

Wrigglesworth  Jack 

25 

Mountsandford  Lord 

130 

Walley  Mr. 

57 

Moore  Mr.  John 

178 

Whitworth  Mr. 

58 

AVallace  Col. 

80 

Newton  Mr. 

4-2 

Williamson  William 

84 

Navlor  Mr. 

143 

Watson  Mr. 

140 

Nicoll  Mr. 

174 

Watt  Mr. 

134 

Welbourne  Mr. 

133 

Otway  Sir  Loftus 

10 

Wharton  Mr.  J. 

160 

Ord  Mr.  B. 

95 

Wilkinson  Mr, 

117,  12-2 

O'Callaghan 

161 

Wilkinson  Mrs. 

156 

Osbaldeston  Mr. 

163 

Williams  Bob 

149 

Wvnne  Johnny 

ll'J 

Payne  Phillip 

3 

Wyville  Mr. 

120 

Patrick  Mr. 

*f 
i 

Wormald  Mr.  John 

174 

Jfew  \Vork»,  publUhed  by  Carey,  tea,  A  Blanchard. 


Dunglisson's  Physiology. 

HUMAN  PHYSIOLOGY,  illustrated  by  en<rravin°u  By 
ROBLEY  DUNGLISSON,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Materia  Medica, 
Therapeutics,  Hygiene  and  Medical  Jurisprudence,  in  the 
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body,  in  health,  and  is  calculated  to  convey  accurate  impressions  regarding 
the  deeply  interesting  and  mysterious  phenomena  that  are  associated 
re  of  man— both  as  an  individual  and  a  species— and  a  knowledge 
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THE  LANGUAGE  OF  FLOWERS. 

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.     THE  INFIRMITIES  OF  GENIUS, 

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CHARLES  THE  FIRST.  Memoirs  of  the  Court  of  King 
Charles  the  First.  ByLucyAikin.  In  two  vols.  8vo. 

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1  vol.  demy  8vo. 

THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  FREE  TRADE,  illustrated  in  a 
series  of  short  and  familiar  essays.  By  CONDY  RAGUET, 
Esq.  lvol.8vo. 

MRS.  TROLLOPE'S  BELGIUM  AND  WESTERN  GERMANY 

INCLUDING  VISITS  TO  BADEN-BADEN,  WEISBADEN,  CASSEL, 

HANOVER,  &c.  &c.     IN  1  VOL. 

"  We  have  pleasure  in  saying,  that  we  think  her  style  considerably  strength' 
ened  and  improved  since  her  'Tour  in  America."— Quarterly  Review. 

MEMOIRS  OF  CELEBRATED  WOMEN  OF  ALL 
COUNTRIES. 

BY  THE  DUCHESS  D'ABRANTES. 


ON  THE  PENITENTIARY  SYSTEM 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES, 
AND  ITS  APPLICATION  IN  FRANCE: 

With  an  Appendix  on  Penal  Codes,  and  Statistical  Notes.  By 
G.  DE  BEAUMONT  and  A.  DE  TOQUEVILLE,  Counsellors  in  the 
Royal  Court  of  Paris,  and  Members  of  the  Historical  Society 
of  Pennsylvania.  Translated  from  the  French :  with  an  in- 
troduction, notes,  and  additions.  By  FRANCIS  LEIBER.  In  1 
vol.  8vo. 

"  The  commissioners  appear  to  have  pursued  their  researches  with  much 
industry  and  intelligence,  and  to  have  rendered  themselves  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  subject." 

"The  translation  of  the  work  could  not  have  been  committed  to  better 
hands  than  Mr.  Leiber'g,  and  with  his  notes  and  additions,  it  forms  one  of 
the  best  practical  treatises  extant  on  the  causes  and  prevention  of  crime. 
We  shall  probably  have  occasion  to  recur  again  to  this  valuable  work."— Salt. 
American. 


HISTORY  OF  SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL. 

Complete,  in  5  vols.  12mo. 

'  A  work  unequalled  in  modern  English  historical  literature." — Athtnaum. 


New  Works,  published  by  Carey,  Lea,  &  Blanchard. 


TRAITS  AND  TRADITIONS  OF  PORTUGAL,  collected 
during:  a  residence  in  that  country.  By  Miss  1'ardoe.  In 
two  vols.  12mo. 

"  A  very  singular  and  effective  union  of  the  very  best  properties  which  we 
seek  for  in  books  of  travels  on  the  one  hand,  and  in  works  of  the  imagination 
on  the  other." — Monthly  Review. 

"  The  manners  of  Portugal  were  never  before  delineated  with  so  much  truth 
and  vivacity."— Standard. 

THE  POSTHUMOUS  POEMS  OF  THE  REV.  GEORGE 
CRABBE,  with  his  Letters  and  Journals,  and  a  Memoir 
of  his  Life.  By  his  Son  and  Executor.  In  two  handsome 
vols. 

1  Then  art  in  my  recta  at  home  another  Series  of  Stories,  in  number  and  quantity  mffieicnt  for  a 
volume  ;  and  Of  they  an  much  like  the  former  m  execution,  and  rufficimtly  different  m  eeenlt  ana  cAa- 
racfen,  they  may  hereafter,  in  peaceable  times,  be  taorth  icmelhing  to  you ;  ana  the  more,  becauie  1  thall, 
tehatcvtr  it  mortal  of  me,  be  at  rut  in  the  chancel  of  Trowbridgt  church." — Crabbe  to  hii  Son. 

1  The  Life  of  Crabbe  will  be  found  far  more  abundant  in  striking  incident* 
and  extraordinary  contrasts  and  reverses,  tban  that  of  almost  any  other  poet 
with  whose  personal  story  we  are  acquainted.  It  will  be  seen  from  his  own 
Diaries,  how  calmly  he  had  tasted,  both  of  the  very  bitterest  adversity — a  des- 
titute and  forlorn  wanderer  about  the  streets  of  London, — and  of  what,  con- 
sidering his  early  position  and  distresses,  may  be  called  splendid  prosperity — the 
honoured  and  admired  friend  of  Burke,  Johnson,  Reynolds,  Thurlow,  Fox — and 
more  recently  of  Scott,  Rogers,  Moore,  <kc.  ic. — the  courted  guest  of  the  noblest 
mansions — placed  at  length,  by  the  universal  consent  of  all  capable  of  appre- 
ciating literary  merit,  on  an  elevation  second  to  no  one  among  his  contem- 
poraries." 

THE  BOOK  OF  SCIENCE ;  a  familiar  introduction  to  the 
Principles  of  Natural  Philosophy,  adapted  to  the  compre- 
hension of  Young  People ;  comprising  Treatises  on  all  the 
Sciences.  Illustrated  by  many  curious  and  interesting 
Experiments  and  Observations,  and  including  Notices  of 
the  most  recent  Discoveries.  Embellished  with  upwards 
of  two  hundred  Engravings  on  wood. 

"  This  work  is  beautifully  got  up,  and  elegantly  embellished  with  exceedingly 
clever  wood  cuts :  it  is  published  with  the  design  of  affording  to  youthful  minds 
a  brief,  but  yet  perspicuous,  exhibition  of  the  first  principles  of  the  physical 
sciences,  including  accounts  of  the  most  important  discoveries  recently  made  in 
the  several  departments  of  natural  'knowledge.  All  this  the  book  professes  to 
do,  and  does  it  well.  We  think  by  the  easy  and  familiar  tone  that  it  adopts  in 
the  descriptions,  it  will  become  a  great  favourite  with  youth." — Metrop.  JHag. 

"  Here  is  a  familiar  introduction  to  the  principles  of  natural  philosophy.  We 
have  carefully  perused  every  page,  and  every  page  has  afforded  us  proofs  of 
accuracy  and  observation  which  we  hardly  expected.  There  cannot  be  a  more 
delightful  present  to  the  young,  or  anything  better  calculated  to  refresh  the 
memories  of  the  old.  It  is  the  book,  of  all  others,  to  teach  young  people  how 
to  think." — ffew  Monthly  Magatine. 

"The  present  little  volume  is  so  written,  that,  with  moderate  attention,  a 
youth  may  obtain  a  very  clear  knowledge  of  each  branch  of  natural  philosophy. 
The  volume  is  printed  uniformly  with  the  '  Boy's  Own  Book,'  and  may  be  said  to 
be  a  suitable  successor  to  that  little  work.  The  compiler  deserves  great  credit 
for  the  arrangement,  and  also  for  the  simple,  at  the  same  time,  correct  and 
familiar  style  of  conveying  information.  We  cannot  do  better  than  recommend 
parents  to  .present  to  their  children  this  elegant  little  production." — Repertory 
of  Jtrts. 

"Our  readers  will,  doubtless,  remember  the  'Boy's  Own  Bonk;'  the  present 
volume  is  a  sequel  to  that  amusing  little  work.  It  is  got  up  with  extreme  care, 
and  illustrated  with  an  immense  number  of  figures,  of  extraordinary  neatness 
of  execution." — Jltlas. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  IRELAND.    By  THOMAS  MOORE.  Vol.  I 
is  now  ready,  and  the  remainder  in  progress. 


HISTORIES   FOR  SCHOOLS, 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENG- 
LAND. By  Sir  JAMES  MACK- 
INTOSH. In  three  vols.  12mo. 

The  same  work   in  one   large 

vol.  8vo. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  FRANCE 
By  E.  E.  CROWE.  In  3  v.  12mo. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  SCOT- 
LAND.  By  Sir  WALTER 
SCOTT.  In  two  vols.  12mo. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  THE 
NETHERLANDS  TO  THE 
BATTLE  OF  WATERLOO. 
By  T.  C.GRATTAN.  1  vol.  12mo. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  THE 
ITALIAN  REPUBLICS,  be- 
ing a  view  of  the  rise,  pro- 
gress, and  fall  of  Italian  Free- 
dom. By  J.  C.  L.  DE  Sis- 
MONDI  In  one  vol.  12nao. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  SPAIN 
&  PORTUGAL.  5  vols.  12mo. 

A  HISTORY  OF  SWITZER- 
LAND. In  1  vol.  12mo. 

A  HISTORY  OF  IRELAND. 
By  THOMAS  MOORE.  In  12mo. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  FALL 
OF  THE  ROMAN  EMPIRE, 
comprising  a  view  of  the  inva- 
sion and  settlement  of  the  Bar- 
barians. By  J.  C.  L.  DE  Sis- 
MONDI.  In  one  vol.  8vo. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  LIFE  AND 
VOYAGES  OF  CHRISTO- 
PHER COLUMBUS  AND 
COMPANIONS.  By  WASH- 
INGTON IRVING.  In  3  vols.  8vo. 

THE  EARLY  NAVAL  HIS- 
TORY OF  ENGLAND.  By 
ROBERT  SOUTHEY.  1  vol.  8vo 


ELEMENTS  OF  THE  INTEGRAL  CALCULUS;  with  its 
Applications  to  Geometry,  and  to  the  Summation  of  Infinite 
Series,  &c.  Revised  and  corrected  by  MICHAEL  O'SHAN- 
NESSY,  A.  M.  1  vol.  8vo. 

1  The  volume  before  us  forms  the  third  rtf  an  analytical  course,  which  com- 
mences with  the  'Elements  of  Analytical  Geometry.'  More  elegant  text- 
books do  not  exist  in  the  English  language,  and  we  trust  they  will  speedily  be 
adopted  in  our  Mathematical  Seminaries.  The  existence  of  such  auxiliaries 
will,  of  itself,  we  hope,  prove  an  inducement  to  th<>  cultivation  of  Analytical 
Science  ;  for,  to  the  want  of  such  elementary  works,  the  indifference  hitherto 
manifested  in  this  country  on  the  subject  is,  we  apprehend,  chiefly  to  be  as- 
cribed. Mr.  Young  has  brought  Ihe  science  within  the  reach  of  every  intelli- 
gent student,  and,  in  so  doing,  has  contributed  to  the  advancement  of  mathe- 
matical learning  in  Great  Britain." — Presbyterian  Review,  January,  1832. 

ELEMENTS  OF  THE  DIFFERENTIAL  CALCULUS ;  com- 
prehending the  General  Theory  of  Curve  Surfaces,  and  of 
Curves  of  Double  Curvature.  Revised  and  corrected  by 
MICHAEL  O'SHANNESSY,  A.  M-  1  vol.  8vo. 

"  The  whole  Elements  of  the  Differential  Calculus,  comprehending  all  that 
s  most  valuable  in  the  large  works  of  the  most  celebrated  Analysts,  are  con 
taincd  in  one  volume,  beautifully  printed  on  a  fine  paper,  and  neatly  bound 
in  cloth.  It  appears  to  be  in  every  respect  well  fitted  for  aClass-Book,  and 
can  scarcely  fail  to  be  very  generally  adopted  " — Presbyterian  Rcvie»,  Sep 
tcnibcr,  1831. 


EDUCATION. 


A  TREATISE  ON  ASTRONOMY.  By  Sir  JOHN  F.  W.  HER- 
SCHEL.  In  1  vol.  12mo.  with  questions-— 

AN  ELEMENTARY  TREATISE  ON  ALGEBRA,  Theoretical 
and  Practical ;   with  attempts  to  simplify  some  of  the  more 
difficult  parts  of  the  science,  particularly  the  demonstration  of 
the  Binomial  Theorem,  in  its  most  general  form ;  the  Solution 
of  Equations  of  the  higher  orders ;  the  Summation  of  Infinite 
Series,  &c.     By  J.  R.  YOUNG.     First  American  edition,  with 
Additions  and  Improvements,  by  SAMUEL  WARD,  Jun.     Svo. 
"A  new  and  ingenious  general  method  of  solving  Equations  has  been  recently 
discovered  by  Messrs.  H.  Atkinson,  Holdred,  and  Horner,  independently  of  each 
other.     For  the  best  practical  view  of  this  new  method  and  its  applications, 
consult  the  Elementary  Treatise  on  Algebra,  by  Mr.  J.  R.  Younz,  a  work  which 
deserves  our  cordial  recommendation.1-1 — Dr.  Gregory's  edition  of  JIutton's  Mathe- 
matics. 

"  For  the  summation  of  Infinite  Series  the  author  gives  a  new  and  ingenious 
method,  which  is  very  easy  and  extensive  in  its  application." — Newcastle  Mag. 

By  the  same  Author. 

ELEMENTS  OP  GEOMETRY ;  containing  a  new  and  universal 
Treatise  on  the  Doctrine  of  Proportions,  together  with  Notes, 
in  which  are  pointed  out  and  corrected  several  important  errors 
that  have  hitherto  remained  unnoticed  in  the  writings  of  Ge- 
ometers. Also,  an  Examination  of  the  various  Theories  of  Paral- 
lel Lines  that  have  been  proposed  by  Legendre,  Bcrtrand,  Ivory, 
Leslie,  and  others. 

"  His  observations  on  the  theory  of  parallel  lines,  the  labor  he  has  bestowed 
on  the  doctrines  of  proportion,  as  well  as  his  corrections  of  many  errors  of  pre- 
ceding Geometers,  and  supplying  their  defects,  together  with  his  minute  attention 
to  accuracy  throughout,  may  be  justly  considered  as  rendering  his  performance 
valuable,  especially  to  the  learner." — Philosophical  JUagaiine. 

"  We  have  never  seen  a  work  so  free  from  pretension  and  of  such  great  merit. 
Various  fallacies  latent  in  the  reasoning  of  some  celebrated  mathematicians, 
both  of  anciant  and  modern  date,  are  pointed  out  and  discussed  in  a  tone  of  calm 
moderation,  which  we  regret  to  say  is  not  always  employed  in  the  scientific 
world." — Monthly  Magazine. 

"  This  is  a  work  of  valuable  information,  the  conception  of  a  most  enlightened 
mind,  and  executed  with  a  simplicity  which  cannot  but  carry  the  important  truth 
it  speaks  of;  home  to  the  conviction  of  every  understanding." — Weekly  Times. 

THE  ELEMENTS  OF  ANALYTICAL  GEOMETRY ;  compre- 
hending the  Doctrine  of  the  Conic  Sections,  and  the  General 
Theory  of  Curves  and  Surfaces  of  the  second  order,  with  a 
variety  of  local  Problems  on  Lines  and  Surfaces.  Intended  for 
the  use  of  Mathematical  Students  in  Schools  and  Universities. 

"  If  works  like  the  present  be  introduced  generally  into  our  schools  and  col- 
leges, thR  continent  will  not  long  boast  of  its  immense  superiority  over  the 
country  of  Newton,  in  every  branch  of  modern  analytical  science." — Atlas. 

ELEMENTS  OF  PLANE  AND  SPHERICAL  TRIGONOME- 
TRY, comprehending  the  Theory  of  Navigation  and  of  Nautical 
Astronomy. 

ELEMENTS  OF  MECHANICS,  comprehending  Statics  and 
Dynamics. 


EDUCATION. 

A  New  Abridgement  of  AINSWORTH'S  DICTIONARY, 
English  and  Latin,  for  the  use  of  Grammar  Schools.  By 
JOHN  DYMOCK,  LL.  D.,  with  Notes,  by  CHARLES  ANTHON. 
1  vol.  18mo. 

In  (his  edition  are  introduced  several  alterations  and  improvements,  for  the 
fjwcial  purpose  of  facilitating  the  labor  and  increasing  the  knowledge  of  tlie 
young  scholar. 

GREEK  AND  ENGLISH  LEXICON.  By  D.  DONJJEGAN.  Abridged 
for  the  use  of  Schools.  In  1  vol.  royal  18mo.,  containing  above 
800  pages. 

This  work  is  printed  on  a  handsome  distinct  type,  and  remains  as  much 
matter  as  many  of  the  larger  lexicons;  billowing  to  the  form  in  which  it  is 
printed,  it  is  sold  at  such  price  as  to  be  within  the  reach  of  all  students.  It 
offers  more  advantages  to  the  young  student  than  any  other  lexicon  now  in  use. 
The  vocabulary  is  more  extensive  and  complete — comprising  not  only  words 
found  in  the  classics,  but  also  such  as  are  found  in  the  writings  of  Hippocrates 
and  the  Greek  physicians.  The  meaning!!  attached  to  words  by  the  several 
writers  are  also  given. 

Words  are  given  in  alphabetical  order  in  every  poetical  and  dialectic  variety. 

The  conjugation  of  verbs  and  flection  of  nonns  are  more  complete  than  in 
other  lexicons; — the  meanings  of  words  fuller  and  more  correct — there  being 
first  a  primary  and  then  a  secondary  meaning,  each  distinguished  from  the 
metaphorical  and  Miomalical.  Phrases  are  also  given  when  they  note  any 
peculiarity  in  signification.  The  etymology  of  words  is  only  omitted  where  it  is 
confused  or  disputed.  There  is  nothing  left  out  which  the  young  student  would 
find  necessary  in  studyinz  the  classics,  and  which  would  enable  him  to  under- 
stand the  true  meaning  of  a  word.  In  short,  in  this  work  the  essential  advan- 
tages of  a  good  Dictionary  are  combined  with  those  of  a  good  Grammar — advan- 
tages not  found  in  any  Greek  and  Knglish  lexicon  now  used. 

ELEMENTS  OF  MECHANICS.     By  JAMES  RENWICK,  Esq., 

Professor  of  Natural  and  Experimental  Philosophy,  Columbia 

College,  N.  Y.     In  8vo.  with  numerous  Engravings. 

"We  think  this  decidedly  the  best  treatise  on  Mechanics,  which  has  issued 

from  the  American  press,  that  we  have  seen  ;  one,  too,  that  is  alike  creditable  to 

the  writer,  and  to  the  state  of  science  in  this  country." — Americ':n  Quarterly  Rev. 

ELEMENTS  OF  OPTICS.  By  DAVID  BREWSTER.  First  Amer- 
ican edition,  with  Notes  and  Additions,  by  A.  D.  BACHE,  Pro- 
fessor of  Natural  Philosophy  and  Chemistry  in  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania.  18mo. 

"The  author  has  given  proof  of  his  well-known  industry,  and  extensive  ac- 
quaintance with  the  results  of  science  in  every  part  of  Europe."— Monthly  Mag. 
"  The  subject  is,  as  might  be  expected,  ably  treated,  and  clearly  illustrated."— 
U.  S.  Jour. 

A  TREATISE  ON  HYDROSTATICS  AND  PNEUMATICS. 
By  the  Rev.  DIONYSIUS  LARDNER,  LL.  D.  F.  R.  S.  &c.  First 
American  from  the  first  London  edition,  with  Notes  by  BEN- 
JAMIN F.  JOSLJN,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy  in  Union 
College. 

"  It  fully  sustains  the  favorable  opinion  we  have  already  expressed  as  to  this 
valuable  compendium  of  modern  science." — Lit.  Gaz. 

"Dr.  Lardner  has  made  a  good  use  of  his  acquaintance  with  the  familiar  facts 
which  illustrate  the  principles  of  science."— Monthly  Mag. 

"It  is  written  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  in  a  popular  style, 
abounding  in  practical  illustrations  of  the  abstruse  operations  of  these  im- 
portant sciences."—  U.  S.  Jour. 


FRENCH  AND  SPANISH. 

BY  A.  BOLMAR. 

A  COLLECTION  OF  COLLOQUIAL  PHRASES  on  every 
Topic  necessary  to  maintain  Conversation,  arranged  under  differ- 
ent heads,  with  numerous  remarks  on  the  peculiar  pronunciation 
and  use  of  various  words— the  whole  so  disposed  as  considerably 
to  facilitate  the  acquisition  of  a  correct  pronunciation  of  the 
French.  By  A.  BOLMAR.  One  vol.  18mo. 

A  SELECTION  OF  ONE  HUNDRED  PERRIN'S  FABLES, 
accompanied  by  a  Key,  containing  the  text,  a  literal  and  free 
translation,  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  point  out  the  differ- 
ence between  the  French  and  the  English  idiom,  also  a  figured 
pronunciation  of  the  French,  according  to  the  best  French  works 
extant  on  the  subject ;  the  whole  preceded  by  a  short  treatise  on 
the  sounds  of  the  French  language,  compared  with  those  of  the 
English. 

LES  AVENTURES  DE  TELEMAQUE  PAR  FENELON,  ac 

companied  by  a  Key  to  the  first  eight  books  ;  containing  like  the 
Fables — the  Text — a  Literal — and  Free  Translation  ;  intended  as 
a  Sequel  to  the  Fables. 

The  expression  'figured  pronunciation,'  is  above  employed  to  express  that  the 
words  in  the  Key  to  the  French  Fables  are  spelt  and  divided  as  they  are  pronounced 
It  is  what  WALKER  has  done  in  his  Critical  Pronouncing  Dictionary  ;  for  instance 
he  indicates  the  pronunciation  of  the  vord  enough,  by  dividing  and  spelling  it  thus 
e-nuf.  In  the  same  manner  I  indicate  the  pronunciation  of  the  von!  comptaien 
thus,  kon-lt\  As  the  understanding  of  the  figured  pronunciation  of  WALKER  re 
quires  the  student  to  be  acquainted  with  the  primitive  sounds  of  the  English  rowels 
he  must  likewise,  before  he  can  understand  the  figured  pronunciation  of  the  French 
make  himself  acquainted  Kith  the  20  primitive  sounds  of  the  French  roicelt.  This 
any  intelligent  person  can  get  from  a  native,  or  from  anybody  v-ho  reads  French 
well,  in  a  few  hours. 

A  COMPLETE  TREATISE  ON  THE  GENDERS  OF  FRENCH 
NOUNS ;  in  a  small  pamphlet  of  fourteen  pages. 

This  little  work,  which  is  the  most  complete  of  the  kind,  is  the 
fruit  of  great  labor,  and  will  prove  of  immense  service  to  every 
learner. 

ALL  THE  FRENCH  VERBS,  BOTH  REGULAR  AND  IR- 
REGULAR, in  a  small  volume. 

The  verbs  tire  to  be,  avoir  to  have,  parferto-speak.^/Jnir  to  finish,  recevoir 
to  receive,  vendre  to'sell,  se  lever  to  rise,  se  bien  porter  to  be  well,  s'en  aller 
to  go  away,  are  here  all  conjugated  tiiro\\gh-~-fiffi.rmatively — negatively — 
interrogatively — and  negatively  and  interrogatively — an  arrangement  which 
will  greatly  facilitate  the  scholar  in  his  learning  the  French  verbs,  and 
which  will  save  the  master  the  trouble  of  explaining  over  and  over  again 
what  may  be  much  more  easily  learned  from  books,  thus  leaving  him  more 
time  to  give  his  pupil,  during  the  lesson,  that  inslruction  which  cannot  be 
found  in  books,  but  which  must  be  learned  from  a  master. 


NEUMAN'S  SPANISH  AND  ENGLISH  DICTIONARY. 

New  Edition,  in  one  vol.  18mo. 


MECHANICS,  MANUFACTURES,  &c. 


A  PRACTICAL  TREATISE  ON  RAIL-ROADS,  AND  INTE- 
RIOR COMMUNICATION  IN  GENERAL— containing  an 
account  of  the  performances  of  the  different  Locomotive  En- 
gines at,  and  subsequent  to,  the  Liverpool  Contest ;  upwards  of 
two  hundred  and  sixty  Experiments,  with  Tables  of  the  com- 
parative value  of  Canals  and  Rail-roads,  and  the  power  of  the 
present  Locomotive  Engines.  By  NICHOLAS  WOOD,  Colliery 
Viewer,  Member  of  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  &c. 
8vo.  With  plates. 

"  In  this,  the  able  author  has  brought  up  his  treatise  to  the  date  of  the  latest 
improvements  in  this  nationally  important  plan.  We  consider  the  volume  to 
be  one  of  great  general  interest. "-r-Lit.  Gar. 

"  We  must,  in  justice,  refer  the  reader  to  the  work  itself,  strongly  assuring 
him  that,  whether  he  be  a  man  of  science,  or  one  totally  unacquainted  with  its 
technical  difficulties,  he  will  here  receive  instruction  and  pleasure,  in  a  degree 
which  we  have  seldom  seen  united  before." — Monthly  Review. 

REPORTS  ON  LOCOMOTIVE  AND  FIXED  ENGINES.  By 
J.  STEPHEXSON  and  J.  WALKER,  Civil  Engineers.  With  an 
Account  of  the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Rail-road,  by  H. 
BOOTH.  In  8vo.  With  plates. 

MILLWRIGHT  AND  MILLER'S  GUIDE.    By  OLIVER  EVANS. 

New  Edition,  with  additions  and  corrections,  by  the  Professor 
of  Mechanics  in  the  Franklin  Institute  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
description  of  an  improved  Merchant  Flour-Mill,  with  engrav- 
ings, by  C.  &  O.  Evans,  Engineers. 

THE  NATURE  AND  PROPERTIES  OF  THE  SUGAR-CANE, 

with  Practical  Directions  for  its  Culture,  and  the  Manufacture 
of  its  various  Products ;  detailing  the  improved  Methods  of  Ex- 
tracting, Boiling,  Refining,  and  Distilling ;  also  descriptions  of 
the  Best  Machinery,  and  useful  Directions  for  the  general  Man- 
agement of  Estates.     By  GEORGE  RICHARDSON  PORTER. 
"  This  Tolume  contains  a  valuable  mass  of  scientific  and  practical  informa- 
tion, and  is,  indeed,  a  compendium  of  everything  interesting  relative  to  colonial 
agriculture  and  Manufacture." — Intelligence. 

"  We  can  altogether  recommend  this  volume  as  a  most  valuable  addition  to 
the  library  of  the  home  West  India  merchant,  as  well  as  that  of  the  resident 
pXantcr."— Lit.  Gazette. 

ELEMENTS  OF  MECHANICS.  By  JAMES  RENWICK,  Esq. 
Professor  of  Natural  and  Experimental  Philosophy,  Columbia 
College,  N.  Y.  In  8vo.  with  numerous  engravings. 

"  We  think  this  decidedly  the  best  treatise  on  Mechanics,  which  has  issued 
from  the  American  press,  that  we  have  seen  ;  one,  too,  that  is  alike  creditable 
to  the  writer,  and  to  the  state  of  science  in  this  country." — Jim.  Qatar.  Revictc 

TREATISE  ON  CLOCK  AND  WATCH-MAKING,  Theoretical 
and  Practical,  by  THOMAS  REID,  Edinburgh  Honorary  Member 
of  the  Worshipful  Company  of  Clock-Makers,  London.  Royal 
8vo.  Illustrated  by  numerous  plates. 


f^fstorg  anH 


GEOLOGICAL  MANUAL,  by  H.  T.  DE  LA  BECHE,  F.  R.  S, 
F.  G.  S.,  Mem.  Geol.  Soc.  of  France.  In  8va  With  104  Wood 
Cuts. 

"  A  work  of  first-rate  importance  in  the  science  to  which  it  relates,  and  which 
must  henceforth  take  its  place  in  the  Library  of  every  student  in  Geology." — 
Phil.  Magazine. 

ELEMENTS  OF  PHYSICS,  OR  NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY, 
GENERAL  AND  MEDICAL,  explained  independently  of 
TECHNICAL  MATHEMATICS,  and  containing  New  Dis- 
quisitions and  Practical  Suggestions.  By  NEILL  ARNOTT,  M.  D. 
Second  American  from  the  fourth  London  edition,  with  Addi- 
tions by  ISAAC  HAYS,  M.  D. 
"  Dr.  Arnott's  work  has  done  for  Physics  as  much  as  Locke's  Essay  did  for 

the  science  of  mind." — London  University  Magazine. 
"We  may  venture  to  predict  that  it  will  not  be  surpassed."— rimes. 
"Dr.  A.  has  not  done  less  for  Physics  than  Blackstone  did  for  the  Law."— 

Morning  Herald. 
"  Dr.  A.  has  made  Natural  Philosophy  as  attractive  as  Bufibn  made  Natural 

History." — French  Critic. 

"  A  work  of  the  highest  class  among  the  productions  of  mind."— Courier. 
"  We  regard  the  style  and  manner  as  quite  admirable."— Morning  Chronicle 
"  As  interesting  as  novel-reading." — Ithcnirum. 

"  Never  did  philosophic  band  wield  a  pen  more  calculated  to  win  men  to  be 
wise  and  good." — Edinburgh  Observer. 

"  Of  this  valuable,  or  we  might  say,  invaluable  work,  a  second  edition  baa 
been  speedily  demanded  by  the  public  voice." — Lit.  Qaz, 

ARNOTT'S  ELEMENTS  OF  PHYSICS.  VoL  H.  Part  I. 
Containing  Light  and  Heat 

"  Dr.  Arnott's  previous  volume  has  been  so  well  received,  that  it  has  almost 
banished  all  the  flimsy  productions  called  popular,  which  falsely  pretend  to  strip 
science  of  its  mysterious  and  repulsive  aspect,  and  to  exhibit  a  holiday  apparel. 
The  success  of  such  a  work  shows  most  clearly  that  it  is  plain  but  sound  know- 
ledge which  the  public  want." — Monthly  Review. 

AMERICAN  ORNITHOLOGY,  OR  NATURAL  HISTORY 
OF  BIRDS,  INHABITING  THE  UNITED  STATES.  By  CHARLES 
LTJCIEN  BONAPARTE  ;  designed  as  a  continuation  of  Wilson's 
Ornithology,  Vols.  I.  II.  III.  and  IV. 

%*  Gentlemen'  who  possess  Wilson,  and  are  desirous  of  rendering  the 
work  complete,  are  informed  that  the  edition  of  this  work  is  very  small, 
and  that  but  a  very  limited  number  of  copies  remain  unsold. 

A  DISCOURSE  ON  THE  REVOLUTIONS  OF  THE  SURFACE 

OF   THE    GLOBE    AND    THE    CHANGES    THEREBY    PRODUCED    IN 

THE  ANIMAL  KINGDOM.     By  BARON  G.  CUVIER.     Trans- 
lated from  the  French,  with  Illustrations  and  a  Glossary.     In 
12mo.     With  Plates. 
"One  of  the  most  scientific  and  important,  yet  plain  and  lucid  works,  which 

adorn  the  age." Here  is  vast  aid  to  the  reader  interested  in  the  study  of 

nature,  and  the  lights  which  reason  and  investigation  have  thrown  upon  the 
formation  of  the  universe." — JVcw  Monthly  Magazine. 


CHEMISTRY. 


THE  CHEMISTRY  OF  THE  ARTS,  on  the  basis  of  Gray's 
Operative  Chemist,  being  an  Exhibition  of  the  Art*  and 
Manufactures  dependent  on  Chemical  Principles,  with 
numerous  Engraving*,  by  ARTHUR  L,.  PORTER,  M.  D. 
late  Professor  of  Chemistry,  &c.  In  the  University  of  Ver- 
mont. In  8vo.  With  numerous  Plates. 

The  popular  and  valuable  English  work  of  Mr.  Gray,  which  forms  the 
groundwork  of  the  present  volume,  was  published  in  London  in  1829,  and 
designed  to  exhibit  a  systematic  and  practical  view  of  the  numerous  Arts  and 
Manufactures  which  involve  the  application  of  Chemical  Science.  The  au- 
thor himself  a  skilful,  manufacturing,  as  well  as  an  able,  scientific  chemist, 
njoying  the  multiplied  advantages  afforded  by  the  metropolis  of  the  greatest 
manufacturing  nation  on  earth,  was  eminently  qualified  for  so  arduous  an 
undertaking,  and  the  popularity  of  the  work  in  England,  as  well  as  its 
intrinsic  merits,  attest  the  fidelity  and  success  with  which  it  has  been  ex- 
ecuted. In  the  work  now  offered  to  the  American  public,  the  practical 
character  of  the  Operative  Chemist  has  been  preserved,  and  much  extend- 
ed by  the  addition  of  a  great  variety  of  original  matter,  by  numerous  cor- 
rections of  the  original  text,  and  the  adaptation  of  the  whole  to  the  state 
and  want,-;  of  the  Arts  and  Manufactures  of  the  United  States.  Among  the 
most  considerable  additions  will  be  found  full  and  extended  treatises  on  the 
Bleaching  of  Cotton  and  Linen,  on  the  various  branches  of  Calico  Printing, 
on  the  Manufacture  of  the  Chloride  of  Lime,  or  Bleaching  Powder,  and 
numerous  Staple  Articles  used  in  the  Arts  of  Dying,  Calico  Printing,  and 
various  other  processes  of  Manufacture,  such  as  the  Salts  of  Tin,  Lead, 
Manganese,  and  Antimony;  the  most  recent  Improvements  on  the  Manu- 
facture of  the  Muriatic,  Nitric,  and  Sulphuric  Acids,  the  Chromates  of 
Potash,  the  latest  information  on  the  comparative  Value  of  Different  Va- 
rieties of  Fuel,  on  the  Construction  of  Stoves,  Fire-Places,  and  Stoving 
Rooms,  on  the  Ventilation  of  Apartments,  &c.  &c.  The  leading  object  has 
been  to  improve  and  extend  the  practical  character  of  the  Operative  Chem- 
ist, and  to  supply,  as  the  publishers  flatter  themselves,  a  deficiency  which 
is  felt  by  every  artist  and  manufacturer,  whose  processes  involve  the  prin- 
ciples of  chemical  science,  the  vtant  of  a  Systematic  Work  which  should 
embody  the  most  recent  improvements  in  the  chemical  arts  and  manufac- 
tures, whether  derived  from  the  researches  of  scientific  men,  or  the  ex- 
periments and  observations  of  the  operative  manufacturer  arid  artisans 
themselves. 


CHEMICAL  MANIPULATION.  Instruction  to  Students  on 
the  Method?  of  performing  Experiments  of  Demonstra- 
tion or  Research,  with  accuracy  and  success.  By  MICHAEL 
FARADAY,  F.  R.  S.  First  American,  from  the  second 
London  edition,  with  Additions  by  J.  1C.  MITCHELL,  M.  I>. 

"  After  a  very  careful  perusal  of  this  work,  we  strenuously  recommend  it,  as 
iilariin;:  the  most  complete  and  excellent  instructions  for  conducting  chemical 
experiments.  There  are  few  persons,  however  great  their  experience,  who  may 
not  gain  information  in  many  important  particulars;  and  for  ourselves,  we  beg 
most  unequivocally  to  acknowledge  that  we  have  acquired  many  new  and  im- 
portant hinta  on  subjects  of  even  every-day  occurrence." — Philosophical  Mag. 

A  work  hitherto  exceedingly  wanted  in  the  laboratory,  equally  useful  to  the 
proficient  and  to  the  student,  and  eminently  creditable  to  the  industry  and  skill 
of  the  author,  and  to  the  school  whence  it  emanates." — Journal  of  Scieact  and 
Jlrli. 


CLASSICAL  LITERATURE. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  STUDY  OF  THE  GREEK  CLASSIC 
POETS,  for  the  use  of  Young  Persons  at  School  or  College. 

Contents. — General  Introduction ;  Homeric  Questions ; 
Life  of  Homer ;  Iliad ;  Odyssey ;  Margites ;  Batrachomyo- 
machia ;  Hymns ;  Hesiod.  By  Henry  Nelson  Coleridge. 

"We  have  been  highly  pleased  with  this  little  volume.  This  work  supplies  a 
want  which  we  have  often  painfully  felt,  and  affords  a  manual  which  we  should 
gladly  see  placed  in  the  hands  of  every  embryo  under-graduate.  We  look  for- 
ward to  the  next  portion  of  this  work  with  very  eager  and  impatient  ex- 
pectation."— British  Critic. 

"  Mr.  Coleridge's  work  not  only  deserves  the  praise  of  clear,  eloquent  and 
scholar-like  exposition  of  the  preliminary  matter,  which  is  necessary  in  order  to 
understand  and  enter  into  the  character  of  the  great  Poet  of  antiquity;  but  it 
has  likewise  the  more  rare  merit  of  being  admirably  adapted  for  its  acknow- 
ledged purpose.  It  is  written  in  that  fresh  and  ardent  spirit,  which  to  the  con- 
genial mind  of  youth,  will  convey  instruction  in  the  most  effective  manner,  by 
awakening  the  desire  of  it;  and  by  enlisting  the  lively  and  buoyant  feelings  in 
the  cause  of  useful  and  improving  study;  while,  by  its  pregnant  lirevity,  it  is 
more  likely  to  stimulate  than  to  supersede  more  profound  and  extensive  research. 
ff  then,  as  it  is  avowedly  intended  for  the  use  of  the  younger  readers  of  Homer, 
and,  as  it  is  impossible  not  to  discover,  with  a  more  particular  view  th  the  great 
school  to  which  the  author  owes  his  education,  we  shall  be  much  mistaken  if  it 
does  not  become  as  popular  as  it  will  be  useful  in  that  celebrated  establish- 
ment."— Quarterly  Review. 

"  We  sincerely  hope  that  Mr.  Coleridge  will  favor  us  with  a  continuation  of 
this  work,  which  he  promises. — Oent.  Mag. 

"The  author  of  this  elegant  volume  has  collected  a  vast  mass  of  valuable  in- 
formation. To  the  higher  classes  of  the  public  schools,  and  young  men  of  uni- 
versities, this  volume  will  be  especially  valuable;  as  it  will  afford  an  agreeable 
relief  of  light  reading  to  more  grave  studies,  at  once  instructive  and  entertain- 
ing."—  Wtsleyan  Methodist  Magazine. 

ATLAS  OF  ANCIENT  GEOGRAPHY,  consisting  of  21  Col- 
ored Maps,  with  a  complete  Accentuated  Index.  By  SAMUEL 
BUTLER,  D.  D.,  F.  R.  S.  &c.  Archdeacon  of  Derby. 

By  the  same  Author. 

GEOGRAPHIA  CLASSICA :  a  Sketch  of  Ancient  Geography, 
for  the  Use  of  Schools.  In  8vo. 

Extract  of  a  Letter  from  Professor  Stuart  of  Andover. 

"  I  have  used  Butler's  Atlas  Classica  for  12  or  14  years,  and  prefer  it  or  the 
score  of  convenience  and  correctness  to  any  atlas  within  the  compass  ol  my 
knowledge.  It  is  evidently  a  work  of  much  care  and  taste,  and  most  happily 
adapted  to  classical  readers  and  indeed  all  others,  who  consult  the  history  of  past 
a»»s.  I  have  long  cherished  a  strong  desire  to  see  the  work  brought  forward  in 
this  country,  and  I  am  exceedingly  gratified  that  you  have  carried  through  this 
undertaking.  The  beautiful  manner  in  which  the  specimen  is  executed  that  you 
have  sent  me  does  great  credit  to  engravers  and  publishers.  It  cannot  be  that 
our  schools  and  colleges  will  fail  to  adopt  this  work,  and  bring  it  into  very  gen- 
eral circulation.  I  know  of  none  which  in  all  respects  would  supply  its  place." 

"The  abridged  but  classical  and  excellent  work  of  Butler,  on  Ancient  Geogra- 
phy, which  you  are  printing  as  an  accompaniment  to  the  maps,  I  consider  one 
of  the  most  attractive  works  of  the  kind,  especially  for  young  persons  studying 
the  classics,  that  has  como  under  my  notice.  I  wish  you  the  most  ample  success 
in  these  highly  useful  publications." 


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